Russia occupies strategic village of Bogatyr, Ukraine's 33rd Brigade collapses

The developments on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield after the Istanbul talks are truly worrying. The talks have not really brought peace , but instead escalated the conflict between the two sides, as Moscow has not accepted Kiev’s offer of a 30-day ceasefire. Let’s take a look at the recent major changes on the battlefield.

In recent times, Russian airstrikes on Ukraine have become increasingly intense. According to the Russian Military Review on May 18, early that morning, the Russian military (RFAF) deployed more than 200 long-range suicide drones to carry out airstrikes on Ukraine.

This is not an isolated incident; similar large-scale airstrikes have been going on for days. Moreover, Russian ground forces are not sitting idly by, and their attacks have increased significantly. In many key areas, the intensity of attacks has doubled, and the pressure on the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) defense line is palpable.

Faced with the RFAF's fierce attack, the AFU could not resist and began to actively recruit foreign mercenaries. Recently, the AFU's 3rd Commando Brigade welcomed "new soldiers", including two companies of mercenaries from the Latin American region, each company with more than 100 men, and a battalion of about 400 Portuguese and Spanish mercenaries.

These new mercenaries, trained in attack tactics and the use of Western weapons, were led by NATO military experts at training grounds in the Kiev and Zhitomir regions. However, the AFU's extensive mercenary training activities had in fact become the main target of the RFAF.

The reason the AFU has to recruit foreign mercenaries is because they lack manpower. Ukrainian military observer Yuri Podlyaka said the number of deserters in the AFU this year is between 17,000 and 21,000 people per month.

The more fierce the fighting, the more serious the desertions; especially in the front between Pokrovsk and Konstantinovka. Polish observer Sorkiel said that the 109th and 117th Home Defense Brigades of the AFU stationed there were defeated, and the 109th even retreated to the rear to replenish its forces.

The current defense line in this area includes the remaining forces of the 117th Brigade, the 157th Brigade, the 2nd Battalion of the 5th Brigade, a small part of the tank battalion of the 1st Armored Brigade; the 1st Battalion of the 125th Brigade and the 26th Battalion of the 110th Brigade. The combat effectiveness of these units is much inferior to that of the AFU's mobile reserve brigades.

The RFAF has made its strongest advance in the Donetsk region, reaching the central area of ​​Nova Poltavka and advancing about 3 km north of Malynivka. Last week, the RFAF advanced more than 10 km in a single attack. However, the RFAF is not only advancing quickly, but after taking control of an area, they stop to consolidate their positions and prepare for another attack.

Southwest of Pokrovsk, to prevent the RFAF from advancing into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, the AFU committed the entire reserve of the 425th Assault Brigade. The unit counterattacked to retake the village of Kotlyne for several days in a row, but each time it counterattacked, it lost a platoon of troops.

While the 425th Brigade may be able to hold off the RFAF’s advance to some extent in the short term, in the long term the AFU is losing too many troops. Since the RFAF has now reached the Dnieper Oblast on a very wide front, they can break through the AFU’s defenses anywhere.

The fighting situation in the western part of Kurakhove, in the village of Bogatyr, was extremely fierce. After half a month of fierce fighting, the RFAF finally defeated the main force of the AFU on May 17. This is a strategically important village, located south of the H15 highway from Kurakhove to Zaporozhye.

Why is the village of Bogatyr so important, because several important routes run through it, leading to the Dnieper region, Zaporizhia region and Krasnaya Zvorye. When the RFAF captures this place, they can quickly flatten the front line from Udachnoye to Zaporizhia region, along the H15 highway.

For the AFU, losing Bogatyr was like cutting off an important arm. Therefore, as soon as the RFAF broke through here, the AFU deployed the reserve force of the 33rd Mechanized Infantry Brigade to counterattack. Battles continued every day and the front line was constantly changing.

After capturing Bogatyr, the Russians did not allow the AFU to consolidate, but continued to advance west and north, encircling Odradne and attacking Oleksiivka. The AFU defense line here was on the verge of complete collapse. If the Russians captured Odradne and advanced to the village of Komar (north of Velyka Novosyolka), the AFU would be in serious danger.

Previously, the AFU was relying on the Komar-Bogatyr-Velyka Novosyolka “defensive triangle” to counterattack Mariupol in the summer of 2023, aiming to cut off the Russian army’s land route to Crimea. Currently, only the village of Komar remains “alive” in the triangle. Once lost, all previous strategic ideas of the Ukrainian army will become meaningless.

The RFAF’s capture of the village of Bogatyr has shattered AFU plans for a new offensive to the Sea of ​​Azov. Given the current situation, there is no sign that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict will ease in the short term. The RFAF offensive is intensifying, and the AFU is struggling to counter it with mercenaries and makeshift units. (photo source Military Review, TASS, Rybar, Ukrinform).

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/nga-chiem-lang-chien-luoc-bogatyr-lu-doan-33-ukraine-vo-tran-post1542306.html