21 Apr: Unexpected. Russians cut the road to Bakhmut

[TexasTowelie]

Day 422: April 21

The freshest reports suggest that the main Ukrainian defense line goes along Krainia Street. The commanders of the units on the ground evaluated the condition of the infrastructure and decided that it was physically no longer fit for defense. According to Russian sources, Russians are maintaining a permanent presence only in the outer quarter of the region, as all buildings in between have been destroyed. This means that in order to maintain constant pressure, they have to make a long hike through the grey zones, which increases their losses due to snipers, mortar, and artillery strikes. As can be seen from the combat footage, the streets in front of Ukrainian positions are filled with Russian corpses.

In the southern part of the region, a fighter from the Ukrainian 1st Border Detachment reported that Russians made 3 attempts to move closer to the high-rise buildings. Unfortunately for Russians, they are attacking from tactically disadvantageous positions, as Ukrainians are not only located in higher buildings but also on a hill. As a result, the Russians failed to develop a bridgehead north of Korsunskogo Street and lost 25 troops. In the meantime, the Ukrainian artillery crews continue to hunt down forces concentrations south of Korsunskogo street. Today’s combat footage showed that the 3rd Assault Brigade eliminated at least 6 houses that were seen to receive ammunition or house Russian troops.

But the biggest news by far is that Russians managed to breach one of the most important lines of fortifications in front of the Khromove highway and cut off supplies to Ukrainian fighters in Bakhmut. Yesterday Russian sources reported that the main axis of advance was changed, and it was once again decided to focus on cutting off the supply roads. As you remember, the closest Russian positions were near the rails, and most of the fights took place along the tree line that separated the Ukrainian-held field and the Russian-held field.

Recently, Russians launched a comprehensive attack and managed to push Ukrainians out of the long trench that leads right to the Khromove highway, which means that they have essentially established physical control over the road. The Advisor to the Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Yan Gagin, stated that Bakhmut was finally taken into a pocket, and Ukrainian forces have no ability to provide supplies or retreat.

However, if we look at the satellite imagery, we can see that Ukrainians developed an extensive trench network in front of the road, behind the road, and also all over the place. This was done precisely for such a development to ensure that Russians would not be able to control the whole region by just breaching defense in 1 trench. Russian forces opened 3 lines of attack in order to not allow the Ukrainian defense to work synergistically. As a result, 2 attacks were repelled, and 1 Russian attack succeeded, and they established control over the western line. This put Russians in a very inconvenient position, as they are surrounded by Ukrainians. Geolocated footage showed that Ukrainians were using grenade throwers, firing at Russians from 3 sides. A Ukrainian fighter from the Aidar Battalion reported that the situation is under control and, for the most part, Russians are being eliminated and taken captive.

In the face of the overwhelming evidence that the claims of the encirclement of Bakhmut are false, Russian officials faced a huge backlash and pressure. The Head of the Wagner forces, also criticized the DPR authorities for undermining public trust. Shortly, the Head of the DPR made an official follow-up appeal and withdrew the statement about the encirclement of Bakhmut.

Overall, Ukrainians have built a very powerful defense line in front of the Khromove highway that ensures that Russians cannot establish control over the region by breaching just one strong point. Decentralization of defense allowed Ukrainians to immobilize Russian attackers and prevent them from achieving tactical goals. Careful planning ensures that Ukrainian fighters will continue receiving supplies via other small roads because even though Russians got close, they are located behind the hill and have no visual control over the ground south of the highway.