Russians Attacked Dobropillia In 16 Cars and Vans. None Got There

The really interesting question is why Russian officers think such attacks might have a chance of succeeding - and why Russian soldiers go along with it, knowing the probably outcome. 

Be that as it may, the Ukrainians are only too happy to oblige. JL

David Axe reports in Trench Art:

The Russians aren't going to win this war by loading scores of troops into vans and compact cars, including a modified Ural convertible - then rolling them along a snow-covered road in broad daylight. Ukrainian drones saw them coming five miles away. Ukrainian infantry from the 33rd Brigade opened small arms fire while artillery and drones began to fire on the invaders, killing the assault group.

The town of Pokrovske anchors Ukrainian defenses in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast 45 miles southwest of the ruins of the similarly named Pokrovsk, the locus of fighting in the east.

The town of Huliaipole anchors Ukrainian defenses in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, another 20 miles south of Pokrovske. Between Pokrovske and Huliaipole, on the Haichur River, lies the village of Dobropillya.

If the Russian 5th and 36th Combined Arms Armies are going to break through Ukrainian lines, sever a key north-south road and turn Ukrainian defenses in either Pokrovske or Huliaipole, they might do it in Dobropillya.

But the Russians aren’t going to win this fight by loading scores of troops into vans and compact cars and rolling them along a snow-covered road toward Dobropillya in broad daylight. In the Huliaipole direction, the Russian command sent a modified Ural-convertible filled with infantry to launch a suicide attack.

The attack was prevented by soldiers of the Ukrainian 33rd Separate Assault Regiment, as reported by the General Staff.

The invaders tried to break through towards the village of Dobropillia in Zaporizhzhia.

 

A modified truck landed eight Russian soldiers for the assault.

 

To do this, the basic body was removed from the vehicle, a frame was installed to make it easier for the infantry to hold onto, and electronic warfare equipment against drones was mounted.

The Ural-convertible had no protection during the attack and was designed for rapid advancement.

 

However, the Ukrainian infantry immediately opened small arms fire, forcing the Russians to the ground.

 

Subsequently, Ukrainian artillery and drones began to fire on the invaders, killing the assault group.

During the day, 14 invaders were killed in the area, four motorcycles and the aforementioned truck were destroyed.

 

A week ago, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine denied Russian propagandists’ claims about the alleged capture of Dobropillia in Zaporizhzhia region.

The military command emphasized that such reports are untrue: the settlement remains under the control of the Ukrainian defense forces.

 

According to the General Staff, a sabotage and reconnaissance group of the Russian military took advantage of the weather conditions and briefly penetrated the outskirts of the village. Ukrainian soldiers detected and eliminated the group, and the village was completely cleared.