Ukrainian troop rotation in Toretsk questioned as Russia advances
The 24th Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, responsible for defending Toretsk, was unexpectedly transferred to Chasiv Yar in May. Shortly afterwards, the Russians launched an offensive. Soldiers warned the command that this decision would lead to disaster, but their concerns were ignored. Capturing the town would open a path for the Russians to a logistical stronghold.
Ukrainian troops are engaged in a fierce battle for the town of Toretsk in eastern Ukraine, which Russia is attempting to obliterate.
Path to the logistical stronghold
As "The New York Times" reports, military analysts and US officials say a breakthrough is unlikely despite Russia's successes. However, should Russian forces manage to capture the old defensive bastions in the Toretsk area, they will be able to penetrate towards Kostiantynivka - the logistical stronghold of Ukrainian forces in the east.
Furthermore, a Russian advance of a few more miles will expose towns in the Donetsk region to even more horrific bombardments. Hundreds of thousands of civilians will be forced to flee, complicating the logistics of Ukraine's defence in the east. This underscores the importance of the defence of Toretsk, as well as Chasiv Yar - notes the daily.
A wrong decision by the General Staff
According to the military, the Toretsk area suffered greatly in the first weeks of the war, but its defence never weakened.
"The trenches were deep, the dugouts were well organized, the checkpoints were functional, everything worked. We understood the enemy; we knew how he moved and reacted," says Petro Lachowicz, senior sergeant of the 2nd battalion of the 24th Mechanised Brigade, which is leading the defence in this direction.
However, in May, the 24th Brigade was informed that it was being reassigned to Chasiv Yar to counter the Russian advance in that direction and would be replaced by the 41st Mechanised Brigade.
"Soldiers of the 24th Brigade said they already saw signs of an impending attack on Toretsk and warned senior commanders not to change at such a critical moment," reports NYT.
Such a unit rotation can be extremely dangerous, as new units need time to acclimatise to the new terrain.
"It was a big mistake to take us away from there"
The rotation lasted several weeks. In early June, the 41st Brigade was transferred from Chasiv Yar and took command in the Toretsk area. According to the soldiers, two days after the rotation ended, the Russians attacked. They claim taking them away from the fighting zone was a big mistake.
As "NYT" writes, it quickly became apparent that the 41st Brigade was not prepared to defend Toretsk, as they did not know the terrain. The brigade commander was also criticised for issuing unclear orders and lacking swift responses to changing threats.
According to Heorhiy Tuka, former Minister for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons and a former soldier of the 206th Regiment, too few Ukrainian soldiers were sent to the Toretsk area, and the 41st Regiment issued offensive orders to light infantry units, which exceeded their capabilities, leading to heavy losses.
"Now the 41st brigade commands more in the Toretsk area. Ukraine has sent some of its best brigades to try to stabilize the situation, but their forces are limited. Fierce battles, according to the soldiers, can complicate any hopes of Kyiv to seize the initiative and go on the offensive again," reports NYT.
In response to the "NYT" request, the General Staff of Ukraine declined to discuss operational details. Still, it stated that military command always takes reasonable initiative and suggestions from field commanders into account.
Meanwhile, soldiers from various brigades currently fighting in the area stated they would leave it to others to assess what went wrong and focus on stopping the advancing Russians.
Analysts from the DeepState project reported that the enemy is now only 109 yards from the outskirts of Toretsk.
