Russia captures Ukrainian municipality of Vugalldar after two-year siege and thousands of casualties International

Vugaldar, or what is left of this municipality, is already in Russian hands. The Ukrainian High Command in this area of ​​Donetsk province confirmed the withdrawal of its troops this Wednesday, as videos published by various conflict analysis centers and Russian military accounts already indicated on Tuesday that the aggressor took control of the urban center Was. Vugladar has been a symbol of Ukrainian resistance, of the evolution of Russian strategy and, above all, of the thousands of soldiers and their armor that the Kremlin is committing to this war to achieve limited geographical advances.

The Russian land campaign to conquer Vugladhar, which had 15,000 inhabitants before the war, began in November 2022. A key moment of Russian military embarrassment occurred in this city in January and February 2023. Images of columns of dozens of burnt-out Russian armored vehicles stopped by millimeter minefields went around the world. In those months of siege, the Russians lost an entire regiment within a week, the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade, with more than 400 casualties per day. General Rustam Muradov, who commanded the Russian attack on Vugalldar, was dismissed in April of the same year.

Furthermore the Russian 40th Naval Infantry Brigade, which succeeded the 155th, was practically disintegrated. According to defense analysis group Oryx, Russia alone may have lost 6% of its armor during the entire war.

Russia’s adaptation to war

But Wugaldar is also evidence of Russian strategic adaptation to warfare. The frontal attacks have ended and the offensive is taking slow, but safe actions to encircle the defending forces in all sectors of the Donetsk front, preventing any phalanx from advancing and becoming isolated . This has been the case in the lightning advance that began on Vugalldar this summer, but it is also being replicated in other municipalities besieged by Russia in Donetsk: Chasiv Yar, Kuryazov and, especially, Pokrovsk, a key city in the Ukrainian rear. , currently seven kilometers away from the enemy.

The Khortytsia High Command, the coordination center for military operations in the region of Donetsk, has reported that the withdrawal of its men to Vugladhar is aimed at “conserving troops and combat equipment and taking positions for future actions.” Images released by Russian military accounts between 30 September and 1 October already showed that Kremlin troops had gained access to much of this municipality. The Ukrainian 72nd Mechanized Brigade, responsible for its defense over the past two years, assured on Tuesday that they had not yet received orders to retreat.

Vitaly Kononuchenko, a Ukrainian defense analyst who has followed the developments on the front in this city in detail, told NV Media this Wednesday that most of the 72nd Brigade had already left it. Kononuchenko indicated that the Russians took advantage of the days when troops deployed on the front line were rotated to break their lines. An officer of the Ukrainian 59th Motorized Brigade on the Pokrovsk Front indicated to EL PAÍS on October 8 that the Russians may have infiltrated or exploited Ukrainian communications systems because they were able to launch surprise attacks when troop rotations were taking place. Are experts.

Deep State, the Ukrainian reference organization for updating the battle map, declared the municipality the loser on Tuesday. The Institute for the Study of War, a US organization that periodically monitors the invasion, also said on Tuesday that “Russian forces have probably taken control of Wuglither.” The institute believes that this victory will not bring any major strategic benefits for the Kremlin.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in September that the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk had forced the occupier to transfer 40,000 troops to the Russian province that were supposed to be deployed on fronts inside Ukraine. Military personnel interviewed by EL PAÍS in recent weeks assured that they have not yet detected enemy assets in the battles being fought in Donetsk. Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Havrilyuk told a conference in Kiev on October 1 that recent attacks on Russian arsenals had severely reduced the supply of ammunition for assault artillery. Havrilyuk assured that compared to the beginning of 2024, when Russian artillery superiority was eight to one, this October it has reached a superiority of three to one.

“King of War”

US Reserve General Robert Dyess confirmed at the International Defense Industry Forum in Kiev yesterday that the war in Ukraine has shown that “artillery is once again the king of warfare.” Dias confirmed that the lack of clear air superiority on both sides, thanks to powerful anti-aircraft defense systems, and the mutual ability to disable drones have made howitzers the protagonists.

Despite these words, the truth is that the Russian Air Force has increased its power with attacks from guided aerial bombs which are becoming decisive in all sectors of the front. Mijailo Samus, director of the New Geopolitics defense think tank, said Ukraine urgently needs to be able to equip its fighters with guided bombs to destroy the invaders’ command posts, arsenals and logistics on Russian soil.

Russian advances in Donetsk province coincide with the development of a “victory plan” that Zelensky presented to US President Joe Biden at the White House last week. The document, which has been kept secret, must be accepted by Ukraine’s allies this autumn. Zelensky reiterated that the outcome of the war will be decided in the coming months. The Ukrainian President has said that if the plan does not receive support from his allies, his country will have no room to defend itself and approach future peace talks with a strong position.