Ukraine sent the newly formed 141st Brigade to reinforce forces in the strategic village of Rabotino, which was exhausted after months of continuous Russian attacks.
Rabotino village in Zaporizhzhia province was one of the positions where Ukrainian troops advanced furthest during last year's large-scale counteroffensive campaign. When the counterattack failed, the three Ukrainian brigades defending Rabotino faced many attacks by Russian forces from October 10.
On March 41, Ukraine's 16st Independent Infantry Brigade posted a video showing them using suicide drones to attack Russian forces in Rabotino. This is the first evidence that Ukraine has deployed this brigade to reinforce the already exhausted defense forces and suffered many casualties in the strategic village.
There is very little information about Ukraine's 141st brigade, this unit seems to have been formed shortly after their counteroffensive campaign began in June 6. The brigade, which could consist of six infantry battalions, each with a few hundred soldiers, apparently spent last summer and fall in training.
Ukrainian soldiers outside the village of Rabotino, Zaporizhzhia province in November 11. Image: Reuters
“Brigade 141 arrives to reinforce Rabotino village at a critical moment,” said editor David Ax of Forbes identify. “Ukrainian forces continued to hold out in Rabotino even though the village was in ruins and repelled almost daily Russian attacks.”
However, Ukrainian units in Rabotino are running out of manpower and weapons. Ukraine's 47th Mechanized Infantry Brigade was once responsible for holding the village of Rabotino, but received orders to reinforce Avdeevka and is now fighting in the nearby area after Russia took control of the stronghold in Donetsk province.
The Ukrainian 65th and 82nd Mechanized Brigades continued to hold Rabotino after the 47th brigade left. These two units had to fight continuously for 9 months. As spring arrived and the ground became muddier, the 82nd Brigade's sole tank company struggled to keep its 2-ton Challenger 71s from getting stuck in the mud.
Ukrainian soldiers criticized the Challenger 2 tank as being heavy and difficult to maintain
The Ukrainian 141st Brigade apparently did not bring tanks to Rabotino. This unit may lack support forces such as artillery, engineers and armor.
“The lack of heavy combat vehicles is a reminder that after heavy losses in the counteroffensive campaign, Ukraine struggled to evenly distribute tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and artillery to all brigades,” Ax admitted. determined.
Location of Rabotino village and neighboring municipalities. Graphics: RYV
However, lack of tanks, armored vehicles and artillery is not the most pressing problem of the Ukrainian army, but not enough soldiers. “The basic problem of everything is lack of manpower,” admitted the commander of a Ukrainian battalion.
“Ukraine may lack dozens of brigades,” Ax said. “The 141st Brigade is one of three infantry brigades established last summer. At the same time, they also established 5 mechanized brigades, but it seemed that they did not have enough combat capacity."
Brigade 141 and units of the same level can reinforce Ukraine's defense forces in some areas. However, the size of their force was not enough to completely replace Ukraine's tired and exhausted brigades after the failed counteroffensive campaign.
“Those units will have to stay on the front lines until Ukrainian authorities can pass a bill to mobilize hundreds of thousands of new soldiers,” Ax said.
Nguyễn Tiến (Follow AFP, Reuters)
