AFU brigade, which defending Vuhledar for second year, on verge of encirclement due to exhaustion - Forbes

The situation on the front line in the Vuhledar area of ​​the Donetsk Region is becoming threatening for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The occupiers are trying to surround parts of the 72nd separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which is greatly exhausted by the two-year defense of the city.

This was written by Forbes analyst David Axe with reference to the Center for Defense Strategies and the analytical group Frontelligence Insight.

Competently designed defenses and features of the terrain became a deadly trap for russian troops who tried to storm Vuhledar from the south. In January and February 2023, this enabled the 72nd Brigade to defeat twice as many occupying forces.

However, the area around the village of Vodiane, a few kilometers northeast of Vuhledar, is less dangerous. It is here that the russians have been concentrating their efforts lately, advancing towards the city.

The 72nd separate mechanized brigade is quite well equipped with tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and western self-propelled artillery installations. But, as the author writes, even the best-equipped brigade cannot hold the defense forever.

"Two years is a long time to be in combat without rest for the entire unit <...> After twenty months spent in Vuhledar, the brigade is undoubtedly tired, and the russians continue to advance," Axe writes.

Analysts from Frontelligence Insight the day before recommended to keep a closer eye on Vuhledar, as the situation there can become very dynamic.

The author of the material emphasized that the 72nd separate mechanized brigade made a rare feat - it defended the same city for almost two years against enemy forces that constantly prevailed. But now this unit needs help, or at best, a replacement.

At the same time, Axe draws attention to the fact that currently the Armed Forces of Ukraine probably do not have the resources to strengthen the brigade or even withdraw it from the front line.

In recent days, alarming reports about the situation in the Vuhledar area have also been received from the Ukrainian military.

Last Monday, September 23, a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Stanislav Buniatov with the call sign "Osman" wrote that the situation near Vuhledar and Kurakhove is not in favor of the Ukrainian army.

"In general, the situation is not in our favor, the russians are taking advantage of our exhaustion and achieving success <...> They have the opportunity to experiment, try to squeeze in different directions, roads, trails, attract disposable motorcyclists and equipment in an unlimited number <...> That's right russians and infiltrated the outskirts of Vuhledar itself," Buniatov wrote.

And the AFU officer with the call sign "Aleks" announced today in his Telegram channel that the russians allegedly managed to enter the easternmost streets of Vuhledar.

He emphasized that now the russians are unable to gain a foothold in the buildings on the outskirts, having suffered losses from the fire of the Ukrainian military, they are forced to leave.

"Aleks" described the situation on the flanks of Vuhledar as "difficult".

There is currently no official confirmation of this information from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine or the speakers of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on August 30, MP Maryana Bezuhla stated that the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, allegedly intends to withdraw the 72nd separate mechanized brigade from Vuhledar and send it to another part of the front.

It will be recalled that at the beginning of September, ISW analysts explained why the russians are intensifying attacks in the direction of Vuhledar and Kurakhove.