The Battle for Vuhledar: The Growing Casualties of Russia’s Offensive in Ukraine
The battle for Vuhledar has been raging for months as Russia launched a renewed effort to capture it at the end of January. Now, a Russian marine who survived the battle has spoken out about the harrowing experience, saying survivors are being treated like deserters.
The unnamed marine told Russian media outlet 7×7 that he was part of the 155th Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet and joined the fighting on January 23. He said that around 500 people in the brigade had been killed and just eight left alive in one of its companies.
The marine also said that so many people in his unit were being killed that “new ones were always brought up.”
Oleksiy Dmytrashkivskyi, head of the united press center of the Tavriskiy District of Ukrainian defense forces, told Politico on Sunday that almost the entire brigade of 5,000 had been destroyed near Vuhledar, with troops killed, wounded or taken prisoner.
The Institute for the Study of War think tank speculated that the brigade’s losses were likely the result of dysfunctional tactics indicative of the fact that it is “likely comprised of poorly trained mobilized personnel.” It also said that the brigade had already been restaffed three times, after the battles at Irpin and Bucha.
The UK Ministry of Defense on Sunday highlighted the high levels of Russian casualties at Vuhledar, saying it’s likely due to a range of factors “including lack of trained personnel, coordination, and resources across the front.” Russian military bloggers have also been livid after seeing video footage of the failed assault, and said that it showed Russia’s military making the same mistakes as last year.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian military drones have captured scenes of chaos, including Russian tanks running into minefields and being blown up. Ukrainian officials have also said that Russia was losing 150 to 300 marines a day near Vuhledar.
As the battle for Vuhledar drags on, it is becoming increasingly clear that Russia’s offensive in Ukraine is proving to be costly in terms of casualties and resources. With the situation rapidly evolving, it remains to be seen just how successful Russia’s military will be in the long run.
