Why did Russia have difficulty attacking the Chasov Yar fortress?

At Chasov Yar, Ukraine built a defense system in the style of a "three-dimensional fortress". The battles that broke out here were exactly the same as at Mariupol and Marinka.

In the city of Chasov Yar, the Ukrainian military (AFU) has built a "three-dimensional fortress" style defense system, using anti-nuclear weapons tunnels, industrial pipelines and Soviet-era underground tunnels... to create a three-layer defense system up to 20 meters deep.

Above ground, numerous concrete bunkers and anti-tank trenches were built, each with a secret firing point. Large underground communication trenches allowed the Ukrainian assault units to move at any time. Deeper tunnels housed ammunition depots and field hospitals.

In the battle for Chasov Yar, the AFU had the advantage of geographical position, protected by a relatively intact city and with sufficient ammunition and supply support. While the Russian army (RFAF) had an absolute advantage in air power and army artillery.

Military expert Sassu, from the Chinese National Defense Academy, assessed that Ukraine's defense strategy at Chasov Yar was quite scientific, using tactics to lure the enemy deep into the defensive position, which was arranged in a complex and dangerous manner, and then using firepower to destroy them.

This tactic of the AFU, trapped the Russian troops between the encirclement fortifications, making it difficult to establish a complete attack line; forcing the RFAF to fight independently, with difficulty in linking up. At this time, the Russian frontline troops were threatened by the AFU's FPV UAVs from all sides, putting great psychological pressure on them.

However, the Russians also applied new methods of combat at Chasov Yar, becoming more and more cunning and avoiding unnecessary losses; when they mainly relied on artillery fire, precision air power, combined with UAV attacks, to achieve the ability to strike destructively at AFU targets, located in the depth of defense.

For more than a year, the Battle of Chasov Yar was essentially a Russian offensive, while the AFU passively defended and tried to hold their ground. This offensive-defensive posture resulted in an extremely slow and difficult battle, with advances on the city's front lines only seeing a change after months.

However, “quantitative accumulation eventually leads to qualitative change.” Behind even the slowest progress, there are successive losses, and small, insignificant victories eventually become major breakthroughs.

According to Zhang Hong, a researcher at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences , the Battle of Chasov Yar is a microcosm of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Both sides have entered a phase of attrition, lacking combat skills, relying only on continuous investment and persistent casualties.

Despite using 1.5-ton guided bombs, the RFAF struggled to completely destroy the complex underground bunker network. At Chasov Yar, Toretsk, and Pokrovsk, the Ukrainian military took the initiative in defense, deploying elite forces to harass Russian supply lines and halt the RFAF offensive, using counter-infiltration and anti-encirclement tactics.

Furthermore, Ukraine has an advantage in the number of FPV UAVs, experience and better tactics in using UAVs than Russia. Ukraine is also the first country to use FPV UAVs in actual combat, putting pressure on Russian attacks and armored units, slowing their progress.

In November 2024, the Russian army finally reached the most heavily defended position of the Ukrainian army, the Refractory Plant. Thus began the battle that would decide the final fate of the Chasov Yar fortress.

The refractory plant was the core area of the AFU defense line at Chasov Yar. The mineral dump was a strategically important high point in the area. If the Russians captured the mineral dump, it would be like standing on the roof of a house, overlooking the entire garden of the house.

If this refractory plant were lost, it would mean that the AFU defenses at Chasov Yar would lose the last solid support they could rely on, leading to the collapse of the entire city's defense line. Meanwhile, Russian artillery fire could even directly cover the highway supply routes that the AFU was using.

According to military expert Sassu: Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly fought over the mineral waste dump and the Refractory Materials Factory, especially the waste dump area. Ukrainian troops occupied the factory and converted the buildings into fortifications to deter Russian troops.

While the RFAF often had to destroy entire buildings, the Ukrainians relied on basements and underground trench networks. The Russians had to take small targets one by one to achieve the ultimate goal of capturing Chasov Yar, thereby prolonging the battle. The capture of these two positions neutralized the enemy's defensive support points. (photo source: Sina, TASS, Ukrinform).

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