Mistakes cost Ukraine dearly after defeat in Avdeevka.

Ukraine had ample time to reinforce its defenses around Avdeevka, but focused solely on the counter-offensive, neglecting its defenses, leading to repeated defeats.

After months of attacking the Avdeevka stronghold in Donetsk province, Russia gained complete control of the city and continued its advance into neighboring areas to the west. Following their withdrawal from Avdeevka, Ukrainian forces continued to abandon numerous surrounding villages amidst relentless enemy attacks.

The Russian military's victory after Avdeevka is attributed in part to Ukraine's dwindling ammunition supplies as Western aid dwindled. However, another reason for the Russian advance was the weak defensive lines of Ukraine in the region.

Ukrainian soldiers stand next to newly dug fortifications on the front line in December 2023. Photo: Reuters — Ukrainian soldiers stand next to newly dug fortifications on the front line in December 2023. Photo: *Reuters*

Recently released satellite imagery from Planet Labs shows rudimentary, sparsely constructed trenches built by the Ukrainian army in the western Avdeevka region, where Ukrainian forces are holding out after withdrawing from the strategic city. These trenches lack obstacles that could hinder the advance of Russian tanks or help protect main roads and important positions.

After withdrawing from Avdeevka, Ukraine claimed to have built strong defensive positions along the western outskirts of the city. However, Russian forces gained control of three more villages west of Avdeevka in just one week and are advancing on another.

Some U.S. officials have expressed concern that Ukraine has not reinforced its defenses sufficiently and promptly, potentially costing its forces dearly as Russian units from Avdeevka continue their westward advance.

British military intelligence assessed that after capturing the center of Avdeevka, Russian forces had advanced approximately 6 km westward over the past two weeks. This distance is not long, but the Russian advance was "unusually rapid compared to previous offensives."

Over the past year, Ukrainian commanders have had ample time to prepare defensive lines on the outskirts of Avdeevka. They had previously transformed the town into a "fortress" in the Donetsk province, but had neglected to build defensive structures around it.

Ukrainian trenches outside the city of Avdeevka in Donetsk province. Photo: Planet Labs — Ukrainian trenches outside the city of Avdeevka in Donetsk province. Photo: *Planet Labs*

Ukraine's defensive line outside Avdeevka consisted only of rudimentary earthen fortifications and simple trenches for infantry to move into firing positions; there was nothing else.

This rudimentary level of defense is even more apparent when compared to the Russian defensive line, with its dense network of minefields, obstacles, and fortifications, which helped them prevent and eventually defeat Ukraine's counteroffensive.

The Russian defenses outside the village of Verbovoe, Zaporizhzhia province, which Ukraine failed to capture after months of offensive, highlight the vast difference between the two sides' defensive lines.

Western tactics are at a standstill against the Russian front line.

The Russian defensive line at Verbovoe consisted of several concentric layers surrounding the village, beginning with a wide trench to prevent enemy tanks and armored vehicles from passing through.

Beyond the anti-tank trenches, Russian forces erected "dragon's teeth" barriers, pyramid-shaped concrete obstacles capable of preventing tanks from passing through. The final layer of defense was a dense system of trenches for infantry units defending Verbovoe.

These trenches were dug in multiple interconnected lines, allowing soldiers, if they lost the first line, to quickly retreat to the rear to reinforce their forces and continue fighting.

Russian defensive lines outside the village of Verbovoe. Photo: Planet Labs — Russian defensive lines outside the village of Verbovoe. Photo: *Planet Labs*

There are several reasons why Ukraine has neglected establishing defensive lines on the battlefield over the past year. US officials and military experts believe Ukraine may have been too focused on last year's counteroffensive, thus failing to allocate the necessary resources to digging anti-tank trenches and fortifications, as Russian engineers have been doing since late 2022.

"Nobody was interested in building defensive lines and nobody considered it an option, because it was very expensive," said former Ukrainian army colonel Serhiy Hrabskyi. "Ukraine had very few resources at the time."

According to U.S. officials, psychological factors may also be a contributing factor. The heavy minefields in certain areas designed to hinder Russian advances could be seen as an implicit acknowledgment that Ukraine would find it difficult to counterattack in those regions.

Russia began building defensive lines in the south more than six months before Ukraine launched its counteroffensive. Meanwhile, Ukraine appears to have only started constructing new fortifications about three months ago, when officials announced the formation of a task force to coordinate operations between the military and local authorities.

Ukrainian officials said at the time that the first line of defense would be built by Ukrainian military units stationed in the area. Subsequent lines of defense would be undertaken by local authorities and private contractors. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Ukraine had allocated approximately $800 million to strengthen the defenses this year.

During a visit to the front lines in late November 2023, President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that the Donetsk province, including Avdeevka, "will receive maximum attention." Zelensky also affirmed that "it is necessary to strengthen and accelerate the construction of defense structures."

However, according to expert Pasi Paroinen, "nothing significant happened after Zelensky's visit." "Ukraine prepared some defensive positions outside Avdeevka, but they cannot form a solid defensive line and certainly cannot compare to the scale of the system that Russia has established," Paroinen said.

Russian forces used AZP S-60 anti-aircraft guns mounted on trucks to attack Ukrainian positions on February 16. Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense — Russian forces used AZP S-60 anti-aircraft guns mounted on trucks to attack Ukrainian positions on February 16. Photo: *Russian Ministry of Defense*

Ukrainian officials say they lack manpower for building the front lines. In mid-January, officials in the Ivano-Frankivsk region announced they were recruiting 300 workers willing to participate in the construction of fortifications in the Donetsk region, about 800 km away.

"We lack engineering units. Even our engineers lack equipment," said former Colonel Hrabskyi. He and expert Paroinen believe that the Russian army has more equipment, construction materials, and experienced engineers for establishing defensive lines.

Ukrainian media recently reported on the inadequate defensive positions of their forces outside Avdeevka. According to some Western experts, this is a rare act of criticism directed at the Ukrainian army.

The delay in establishing defensive lines means that the Ukrainian army now has to reinforce them while under attack from Russian forces, making this task infinitely more difficult.

Russia is relentlessly shelling Ukraine's incomplete defensive lines, even using high-explosive glide bombs containing hundreds of kilograms of explosives that can obliterate even the most fortified positions.

"The quality of these Ukrainian defense systems is not good enough to cope with the large-scale destruction campaign of Russian forces," Hrabskyi admitted.

Nguyen Tien (According to BI, AFP, Reuters )

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