The 12th Azov Brigade counterattacked fiercely, Russia used air force to prevent it.

The 12th Azov Brigade counterattacked fiercely north of Pokrovsk, cutting off the Kucheriv Yar salient; Russia sent in air support.

The situation east of the town of Dobropillia, north of the city of Pokrovsk, has recently taken a sudden turn. A Ukrainian counterattack in this area has prevented the Russian Armed Forces (RFAF) from making a strategic breakthrough towards Petrovsk-Dnieper.

Faced with this unfavorable situation, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Army, General Syrsky, decisively launched an all-out counterattack. To recapture the villages of Zolotyi Kolodyaz, Rubizhne and the Kucheriv Yar salient, General Silsky made a decisive effort.

General Syrsky not only threw the entire 12th Azov Separate Assault Brigade into this counteroffensive, but also urgently mobilized elite Ukrainian units such as the 93rd Motorized Infantry Brigade and the 253rd Separate Assault Battalion from the Sumy Oblast and other regions.

On the evening of 27 August, the battle officially began, with the 12th Azov Brigade taking the main line of attack, launching a fierce attack north from the village of Nove Shakhove, while the 253rd Separate Shock Battalion advanced south from Vladimivka.

The operational intention of these two elite Ukrainian units was clear: to penetrate the Kucheriv Yar salient from its roots and cut off the land links between the Russian 132nd Brigade in the Rubizhny, Vilne and Kucheriv Yar areas and the Russian 51st Army to the east.

The goal of the breakthrough was to encircle and destroy the RFAF 132nd Brigade at the salient; at the very least, to open an escape route for the more than 3,000 Ukrainian troops of the 93rd Mechanized Infantry Brigade, who were trapped in the town of Shahove. But tactically, the Ukrainian counterattack was a risky “breakthrough.”

Faced with a comprehensive disadvantage, the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) sought to break the RFAF’s defensive posture in the “wedge” area and reverse the battlefield situation by concentrating superior forces in a localized area. This tactic has been successful in many cases throughout history, but also carries significant risks.

If the counterattack fails, the Ukrainian army will not only lose a large number of troops and modern weapons, but also further weaken its own defense capabilities, creating more opportunities for Russian attacks.

By the morning of August 28, the Ukrainian offensive had made some progress, with the narrowest part of Kucheriv Yar less than three kilometers away. This made the battlefield situation extremely unfavorable for the Russian 132nd Brigade, as if they were being squeezed by the Ukrainian army and facing the risk of being surrounded and destroyed at any moment.

In the face of the fierce Ukrainian counterattack, the Russian 51st Army reacted quickly. They immediately ordered the Aerospace Forces to provide fire support, conducting air strikes on the 12th Azov Brigade north of Nove Shakhove and the 253rd Independent Assault Battalion of the AFU south of Vladimivka, in order to prevent the two Ukrainian wings from combining their forces and ensure the smooth supply and transportation route to the Kucheriv Yar promontory.

This Russian military response strategy reflects its rich combat experience and strong military command capabilities. In modern warfare, air superiority and firepower often play a key role. Taking advantage of the firepower advantage of the Russian Aerospace Forces, the RFAF targeted Ukraine's key attack points, significantly slowing down Ukraine's offensive and disrupting force deployment, weakening combat effectiveness.

However, General Syrsky was determined to open a “road” between Nove Shakhove and Shahove. He deployed thousands of troops, including the 2nd Azov Battalion of the 12th Azov Assault Brigade, the 1st Ukrainian Independent Assault Regiment, and the 25th Independent Assault Battalion, and continued to advance toward his objective. This daring attack put pressure on the Russians.

The combat report for the morning of August 29 said that the fierce counterattack led by the Ukrainian 12th Azov Assault Brigade was successful in stages. A gap was broken at the foot of the Kucheriv Yar promontory, and the main road to Shahove was under Ukrainian control.

This means that the defenses of the Russian 132nd Brigade in the areas of Rubizhny, Vilne and Kucheriv Yar have been surrounded. Ukrainian sources reported that more than 600 Russian soldiers were trapped, while Russian military sources claimed that only 60-100 Russian soldiers were trapped in the area, and only temporarily. The difference between the two reports also indirectly reflects the complexity and instability of the situation on the battlefield.

NATO military analysts told European media that the AFU is not just stopping the Russians, but is also trying to capture Kucheriv Yar and quickly destroy the salient (the bridgehead for the attack on Dnepropetrovsk). Strategically, this goal is completely reasonable. Capturing Kucheriv Yar and destroying this salient will disrupt Russia's strategic deployment in the region, creating favorable conditions for further attacks.

However, the AFU has encountered numerous difficulties in achieving this goal. The most prominent problem is the lack of a reliable air defense system. In modern warfare, air defense is a key factor in ensuring the survival of the army and combat operations. Without a reliable air defense system, the Ukrainian army will have difficulty withstanding the constant shelling from long-range artillery and aircraft of the Russian Air Force.

This is why the RFAF claimed that the "siege of the 132nd Brigade was only temporary." The reason was that the RFAF could use its air superiority and long-range firepower to launch continuous attacks on the AFU, which was fighting outside the fortifications, gradually weakening the AFU's combat effectiveness and creating opportunities for the trapped units to escape.

Furthermore, the AFU is at a disadvantage in terms of numbers and weapons. Although General Syrsky has deployed a large number of elite troops, the overall strength of the AFU is still relatively weak compared to the RFAF in a hand-to-hand combat. If the battle drags on, the AFU’s problems such as ammunition shortages and casualties will gradually become apparent, seriously affecting its ability to sustain combat. (image source: Topwar, Rvvoenkory, Deep State, Kyiv Post)

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