Ukraine's elite brigade could stop Russia from tightening its grip on Avdiivka

Lữ đoàn tinh nhuệ Ukraine có thể ngăn chặn Nga siết chặt Avdiivka - 1 — Ukrainian soldiers fire at Russian targets in Donbass (Photo: AFP).

Three weeks after Russia’s 2nd Combined Army launched a large-scale attack on the Ukrainian garrison at Avdiivka, just northwest of Donetsk, observers have weighed in on how Kiev could stop the enemy advance.

The 110th Mechanized Brigade is the unit that has been tasked with protecting the area, dubbed "the second Bakhmut" because of its fierceness over the past 18 months.

The advantage of this unit is knowing the terrain well and knowing how to defend against a force superior in numbers.

The 2,000-strong 110th Brigade is neither the most combat-experienced nor the best-equipped unit in Ukraine.

But now the brigade has a very difficult and important task: holding Avdiivka without forcing Ukraine to bring in too many reinforcements from elsewhere.

According to Forbes , this force is capable of digging trenches, firing anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles as well as operating UAV bombers, mobilizing firepower from the nearby 55th Artillery Brigade.

A Ukrainian journalist working at the scene said that the 110th Brigade apparently destroyed 200 Russian combat vehicles and put many of Moscow’s soldiers out of action. Russia has not provided information regarding casualties among the forces operating in Avdiivka.

According to Forbes , it is noteworthy that the 110th Brigade had to use many types of weapons in the unit, including Soviet, Czech, and Dutch. These weapons were mostly old and had relatively fragile protection systems against fire.

As Russia continues to attack Avdiivka in recent days, Ukraine has made the difficult decision to transfer part or all of the 47th Mechanized Brigade from the southern front to Avdiivka in the east.

The 47th Brigade possesses some of Ukraine’s best and most modern weapons, but the force is facing exhaustion after four months of relentless counter-offensives in Zaporizhzhia. The brigade needs to rest and replenish its fighting capacity.

So when the 47th Brigade entered the battle on the outskirts of Avdiivka, they faced a fierce Russian attack, losing German Leopard 2A6 tanks and American-made M-2 armored vehicles.

Sources from the battlefield said that the problem Ukraine is facing is that there is no unified military district command in Avdiivka: the 47th Brigade and other units around the city are not effectively coordinating their operations with the 110th Brigade in the city.

According to observers, this needs to change. Ukraine needs a unified intelligence and command system to be able to come up with the best strategy to defend Avdiivka.

Experts also acknowledged the efforts of the 110th Brigade, saying that the unit had been preparing for months to turn Avdiivka into a defensive stronghold. This caused Russia to suffer significant losses in weapons, equipment and manpower in recent attacks.

Therefore, they recommended that Ukraine should give unified command to the 110th Brigade on the Avdiivka front, and transfer to this unit more powerful weapons such as UAVs to further strengthen the defense against Russia.

Avdiivka is currently the hottest front in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and is considered a "second Bakhmut". The Ukrainian military said that in recent weeks, Russia has continuously increased its attack forces to surround and control this strategic city.

Avdiivka is only about 23km from the city of Donetsk. If Russia takes control of Avdiivka, it could push Ukrainian forces away from the entrance to Donetsk and further towards the administrative border of Donetsk and Lugansk oblasts.

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