Battle of Ocheretyne
| Battle of Ocheretyne | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the eastern Ukraine campaign of the Russian invasion of Ukraine | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Russia |
 Ukraine | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
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| Strength | |||||||||
| 10,000 | 3,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| Unknown | Heavy[4] | ||||||||
A battle took place in and around the village of Ocheretyne, Donetsk Oblast, in April 2024, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Background
Ocheretyne is a Ukrainian settlement in Donetsk Oblast located near the strategically important H20 highway. It is located 15 km north of central Avdiivka and about 35 km north-northwest of Donetsk city, the capital of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.[5][6] Ocheretyne had a population of around 3,000 residents prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[7]
Battle
On 16 April 2024, Russian forces advanced towards the settlement, and fighting over the settlement began.[8] According to Forbes journalist David Axe, Russian troops numbered 10,000, including soldiers from the 15th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, 30th Motor Rifle Brigade, 74th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, elements of the 90th Guards Tank Division and special forces units. Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops numbered only 3,000, including soldiers from the 23rd, 47th, 100th and 115th Mechanized Brigades, the 25th Airborne Brigade, the 3rd Assault Brigade and the 425th Assault Battalion.[9] The 115th Mechanised Brigade arrived in Ocheretyne in April 2024. According to Mykola Melnyk, a well-known company commander in the 47th Mechanized Brigade, the 115th Mechanised Brigade left their positions without permission, which led to a breakthrough by Russian forces within 48 hours.[10] On 23rd April 2024, Ukrainian media reported that the army's leadership in Kyiv had launched an investigation to find out the reason for the 115th Mechanized Brigade's unauthorized leave. On 23 April, Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson for Ukraine's Khortytsia Group of Forces claimed that Russian forces were using chemical weapons. However, Voloshyn did not specify what type of chemical weapons were being used.[11]
On 23 April 2024, Russian milblogers claimed that Russian forces have captured the settlement.[12] Later that day, the Ukrainians denied this, and claimed that while Russian troops had entered the village, it remained contested. They also claimed to have killed or wounded 20 Russian soldiers and destroyed seven armored vehicles in a strike the previous day.[13] On 26 April, Voloshyn claimed that Ukraine still controlled two-thirds of Ocheretyne.[14] He also claimed that Russian forces brought in additional reserves from the 55th Mountain Motor Rifle Brigade to break through the Ukrainian defenses.[3] On 27 April, a speaker of the Ukrainian defense forces stated that Ocheretyne was only partially captured by Russian troops and battles were ongoing.[15]
On 28 April 2024, The Guardian reported that Russian forces captured Ocheretyne and overran Soloviove and Novokalynove.[1][2] The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed the capture of Ocheretyne on 5 May 2024. Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment on the status of Ocheretyne, and the settlement was not mentioned in the daily field report.[7]
Aftermath
The capture of Ocheretyne provided Russian forces the local high ground north of Avdiivka, allowing for further advances northwards and westwards into Donetsk Oblast, and a potential flanking advance west of the Toretsk-New York agglomeration.[citation needed]
After establishing a foothold in Ocheretyne, Russian forces expanded the buffer zone south of the salient, capturing the villages of Novobakhmutivka and Soloviove in quick succession by 1 May.[16][17] Russian troops also advanced west of Ocheretyne, with clashes reported along the Novooleksandrivka-Sokil direction on 3 May.[18] The Russians were also advancing on a separate axis east of Ocheretyne, capturing Novokalynove and Keramik by 30 April, according to DeepStateMap.Live.[19] After capturing Ocheretyne and Keramik, the Russians further advanced northwards and captured Arkhanhelske by 5 May, according to DeepState.[20]
The capture of Ocheretyne and surrounding villages allowed Russian forces to begin pushing west towards the Ukrainian logistical hub of Pokrovsk, with a concerted offensive underway by 18 July.
Analysis
According to DeepStateMap.Live, the capture of Ocheretyne was the fastest penetration into Ukrainian territory by Russian forces in recent months.[21] The capture of at least parts of the village was attributed to a rotational error by Ukrainian military commanders that left the sector mostly undefended and led to Russian forces advancing five kilometers.[22][23] Some observers blamed the 115th Mechanized Brigade, which had recently rotated into positions in Ocheretyne and was almost immediately overwhelmed by the Russian army's 30th Motor Rifle Brigade.[9] DeepStateMap claimed in a Telegram post that the leadership of the 115th Mechanized Brigade was "responsible for the collapse of the defense in the entire sector, allowing significant losses".[24] Other observers blamed recent delays in American military aid.[25]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Russia makes more gains around Avdiivka as Ukraine awaits US aid | Ukraine | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
- ^ a b "Ukraine warns of 'worsened' front as Russia claims fresh gains". The Japan Times. 2024-04-29. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
- ^ a b https://ca.news.yahoo.com/ukraine-controls-most-ocheretyne-battles-174400147.html
- ^ "DeepState analyst blames 115th Brigade command for Ocheretyne frontline breach and losses". New Voice of Ukraine. english.nv.ua. April 27, 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- ^ Laws of Ukraine. Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine No. 32-VIII: Про зміни в адміністративно-територіальному устрої Донецької області, зміну і встановлення меж Волноваського, Новоазовського та Тельманівського районів Донецької області (On the changes in the administrative and territorial structure of Donetsk Oblast, changing and defining the boundaries of the Volnovakha, Novoazovsk and Telmanove Raions of Donetsk Oblast). Adopted on 11 December 2014. (Ukrainian)
- ^ "In the Donetsk Oblast three district centers removed from the territory seized by militants". Ukrayinska Pravda (in Ukrainian). 8 December 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
- ^ a b "Russia takes control of Ocheretyne village in Ukraine's east -defence ministry". Reuters. 5 May 2024.
- ^ Ivashkiv, Olena (17 April 2024). "Russian forces advance towards Ocheretyne, Donetsk Oblast – DeepState interactive map". Ukrainska Pravda.
- ^ a b Axe, David. "The Russians Are Rushing Reinforcements Into Their Ocheretyne Breakthrough. For The Ukrainians, The Situation Is Desperate". Forbes.
- ^ Axe, David. "A Ukrainian Brigade Disappeared, And A Russian Brigade Almost Broke Through: How The Battle For Ocheretyne Upended The War In Ukraine This Weekend". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ^ "Military: Russian forces using chemical weapons to storm Ocheretyne, situation 'difficult'". The Kyiv Independent. April 23, 2024.
- ^ Harding, Luke (April 28, 2024). "Russia makes more gains around Avdiivka as Ukraine awaits US aid". The Guardian.
- ^ Korshak, Stefan (April 23, 2024). "Analysis: Russian Troops Claim to Grab Ground in Surprise Assault, Threaten Breakthrough in Battleground Avdiivka". Kyiv Post.
- ^ "Voloshyn: two-thirds of Ocheretyne village is under control of Ukrainian Armed Forces | УНН". unn.ua. April 29, 2024.
- ^ "Бої за Очеретине: росіяни закріпилися в частині селища і кинули в бій чотири бригади". hromadske.ua (in Ukrainian). 2024-04-27. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, April 28, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. 28 April 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
On Sunday, Russia said the nearby village of Novobakhmutivka had fallen to its forces.
- ^ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 1, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. 5 May 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "Russians intensify activities on Avdiivka front where 50 attacks occurred over 24 hours – Ukraine's General Staff". Ukrainska Pravda. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "Occupants seized Keramik and Novokalynove near Avdiivka". Antikor. 30 April 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "Russian flag raised in villages of Arkhanhelske and Kotlyarivka, Donetsk Oblast - DeepState". The New Voice of Ukraine. 5 May 2024.
- ^ "✙DeepState✙🇺🇦". Telegram.
- ^ Harding, Luke; Sabbagh, Dan (23 April 2024). "Russian forces make significant gains in eastern Ukraine". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
- ^ Barnes, Joe (24 April 2024). "Russian troops advance five miles after Ukrainians left front line unmanned". The Telegraph.
- ^ "Ukraine warns of 'worsened' front as Russia claims fresh gains". The Japan Times. 2024-04-29. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ "U.S. Rushes Aid to Ukraine as Russia Presses Near Avdiivka, Chasiv Yar | FDD's Long War Journal". www.longwarjournal.org. April 26, 2024.