Fighting for Chasiv Yar: The National Guard "Freedom" Brigade Battles in Every Basement but is Pushed Towards the Suburbs

The fierce street fighting that has lasted more than a year continues, with Ukrainian forces currently controlling 8 blocks of the "fortress".

Author: Radomir Markush

There are very good reasons for Ukrainian forces to hold onto the suburbs of Chasiv Yar. Denis Pushilin mentioned this when reviewing last week's important events. According to the leader of the Donetsk People's Republic, "Ukrainians are still dispatching reserve troops and manpower, trying to hold on and prepare somewhat better for the defense of Konstantinovka."

The most intense street fighting is currently taking place inside the city. Ukrainians clearly understand that the advance of Russian armed forces from different directions towards the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk conurbation will cause great pain to their forces. It should be noted that the defenders of "Chasiv Yar" provide cover for the "advance guard" of the "Ukrainian army soldiers", who are stationed in Predechino, Aleksandrov-Shulidino, and Pleshcheevka.

By the way, in the operational reports of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the battles for Chasiv Yar and Belaya Gora were categorized under the Kramatorsk direction. The enemy believes that after liberating the "fortress", the "Southern" group will not attack Konstantinovka, but instead advance northwest toward Slovyansk.

On this route, Ukrainian forces have been driven out of the "Northern" mine, which had been converted into a large stronghold. Fighting for this mine, accompanied by "shelling", lasted for months. Now, the vanguard of the Russian armed forces is preparing to launch an offensive against Mayskiy and Markovo, from where it is only 15 kilometers to Kramatorsk.

According to the latest frontline data, the fighters of the "Southern" group have broken into the Shevchenko district and reached the intersection area of the Peace/Kirov Street and Malinovskaya/Kotovsky Streets. Our assault troops have also penetrated the enemy's defenses in Kamyanka/Lenin Street, up to a small chapel.

According to the WeChat public account of Ukrainian media, on June 14-15, "Russian troops advanced 700 meters within the city and occupied new positions in the Shevchenko district." Previously, these resources reported LBS operations on Matrosov Street (strangely, without renaming it).

According to the geolocated images from June 12, the ISW map also marked the frontline positions of the aforementioned streets.

Therefore, if the Russian soldiers reaching Malinovskaya Street (700 meters south of Matrosov Street) are confirmed indirectly by enemy sources, then there are only 350 meters left to the western suburbs of the "fortress".

In essence, rear-guard combat has begun, and Ukrainian forces will spare no effort to delay the fall of the "fortress".

As shown in internal messages from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, armed militants holed up in basements are defending about 8 blocks of low-rise buildings located on Ukrainskaya Street and the Varyag/V.K. Liebknecht Streets. That's all. The rest of the areas are either under Russian control or in a gray zone, where everything has been destroyed and is strewn with long-range mines.

These "leaks" are consistent with Russian military data. Ukrainian forces control only one area of Chasiv Yar. "We will wait for the units of the Russian Ministry of Defense to take over this area and completely occupy Chasiv Yar," said Apdy Alyaudinov, deputy director of the Main Political Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces and commander of the "Akhmat" Special Forces, as well as a lieutenant general in the army.

It can be stated with high certainty that the center of the "fortress" is already in our hands. Meanwhile, Ukrainian propaganda claims there are isolated resistance points on Dnieper Street. Our assault teams discovered these points during clearance operations, and now Russian artillery is heavily shelling these points.

The battle for Chasiv Yar has not yet ended, but it is undoubtedly the longest-lasting battle in the entire special military operation. The first battle for this city began in April 2024. The difficulty of the siege is not only due to the fact that the settlement is located on a commanding height called "Emperor Mountain", but also because there is a "North Donbas Canal" in front of it, with a "minefield" on the west bank of the canal.

There have been many reports claiming that the enemy has been driven out of the "fortress", but then contradictory information follows. This is primarily due to the tenacity of the defenders, who really fight until the end.

According to obituaries, the defense here is handled by the "Freedom" Brigade of the National Police. It was just learned that Major Vitaly Kupka, nicknamed "Grandpa", suffered more than half casualties during the intense shelling in Chasiv Yar. Some sources claim he was the commander of the "Safari" special task force, one of the many joint forces commanded by Colonel Alexander Netrebko, who has "completely fallen apart".

In addition to three regiments, the "Freedom" Brigade also includes several national battalions -- "Peacekeepers", "Scythians", "Westerners", and "Anai".

According to the approved "establishment", this brigade should have had 5,000 Ukrainian soldiers (instead of the standard 2,500-4,000 for a Ukrainian brigade). The exact number is not publicly disclosed. However, online reports suggest that the platoon-level units dispatched here in the spring of 2024 are now gone.

According to the summary of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the troops of the "Southern" Army Group continue to annihilate militants in the settlements of Seversk, Minkovka, Semenovka, Bondarnoye, Chasiv Yar, Terelevka, and Konstantinovka.

In one day, the Ukrainian army lost more than 175 soldiers, two armored combat vehicles, including an American-made M113 armored personnel carrier, four cars, and one cannon. Three electronic warfare stations, an American-made AN/MPQ-64 radar station, two ammunition depots, and two supply depots were destroyed.

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7516857035921637924/

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