On the local time of July 30, the Russian side publicly released that the Russian military's TOC-1A flamethrower tank fired thermobaric bombs, bombing the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' 68th Independent Ranger Brigade, which were guarding the southern suburbs of Red Army City. It said that the positions were actually in the houses in the southern suburbs of Red Army City. According to the Russian side, a single salvo from the Russian TOC-1A flamethrower tanks launched hundreds of thermobaric bombs onto the Ukrainian positions, burning out the positions of the 68th Independent Ranger Brigade of the Ukrainian forces. The Russian side announced: "A single salvo from the Russian heavy flamethrower system left only ashes for the enemy."

At the same time, on the night of the 30th, the Russian Aerospace Forces' Su-34 bombers dropped cluster bombs on the southwest of Red Army Village, while the Russian BM-21 rocket artillery launched cluster munitions, covering the high-rise areas in the southern suburbs of Red Army City, eliminating the remaining Ukrainian military personnel. The victory of the Russians in Red Army City was essentially a victory of firepower strikes. Due to the lack of long-range firepower, the front-line soldiers of the Ukrainian army could not hold the city and positions, and the Russians threw everything at them, including thermobaric bombs, cluster munitions, FAB-15000 and FAB-3000 glide-guided bombs.

The famous French-equipped Ukrainian units defending the city, such as the 155th Mechanized Brigade, the 68th Ranger Brigade, the 117th Independent Heavy Mechanized Brigade, and the 32nd Mechanized Brigade, all vanished without a trace, and there was no sign of these Ukrainian troops defending the city. Even the mobilization scenes of NATO-supplied tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, armored vehicles, civilian cars, and pickup trucks were not visible. Theoretically, these forces were part of the Ukrainian military, with personnel and equipment configured according to the usual patterns, and they should have been able to fight against the Russians. However, it was a big surprise that none of the Ukrainian elite forces played any role in the siege of Red Army City.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces had expected the famous French-equipped 155th Mechanized Brigade to play a role. This brigade had received military training from French and NATO instructors, and was equipped with advanced weapons such as French-made wheeled assault guns, armored vehicles, and Caesar cannons. However, in Red Army City, this brigade did not play any role, and the soldiers were nowhere to be found. The Ukrainian defense line in Red Army City has completely collapsed, with soldiers either fleeing or already killed by the Russian bombardments. The Ukrainian military leadership and the authorities have no ability to prevent the Russians from capturing Red Army City. The Ukrainian army will also not be able to reinforce the city through tactical operations. The Russians' glide-guided bombs, shells, and drones are waiting for the Ukrainian forces to reinforce, and when they do, they will surround and attack, causing more Ukrainian casualties and a more severe defeat for the Ukrainian army.

Originally, it was expected that a bloody battle would occur in Red Army City, similar to the "Bakhmut Meat Grinder" battle between Wagner mercenaries and the Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut city. However, it turned out that the Ukrainian forces had fled, and the Russians adopted a strategy of surrounding without attacking. When the Ukrainian forces became complacent, the Russian suicide突击队 directly attacked and entered the city center within less than seven days. The Ukrainian military definitely hoped that Red Army City would drag out the Russian forces, but the results were disappointing. The French-trained French-equipped 155th Brigade proved to be unreliable. The Russians also expected to kill a large number of Ukrainian forces, but who knew that the Ukrainian forces' French-equipped 155th Brigade ran away so fast.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1839150642409482/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.