How Ukraine's Air Assault Troops Annihilated Russia's Tank Attack on Kramatorsk

The Russian command spent months planning an offensive to take Kramatorsk in Ukraine's Fortress Belt, only to have the assault annihilated by an even better planned Ukrainian counteroffensive which disrupted the Kremlin strategy with heavy losses. 

What continues to be evident in Russian initiatives is a lack of recognition that the Ukrainians are looking at the battlefield options the Russians have and then designing tactics for thwarting them with as much damage and as many casualties as possible. Why, after almost five years, the Kremlin refuses to recognize this, will be the stuff of great history some day. At present, it is the stuff of great Ukrainian intelligence, planning and performance. JL

David Axe reports in Trench Art and Clement Molin reports in X:

Two Russian combined arms armies spent months planning a powerful mechanized assault toward Kramatorsk. The attack failed on July 22nd. Ukrainian air assault brigade spoiled the attack in a complex operation beginning in April. Despite having been in the area for eight months, Russian forces had been unable to consolidate their positions; rivers complicated logistics, and it was impossible to concentrate large numbers of troops. The Ukrainians were able to advance stealthily behind enemy lines, reaching the Mokri Yali River. Counterattacking through gaps in Russian defenses 60 miles southwest of Kramatorsk, the paratroopers pinned down half of the 90th Division’s forces. So when the division attack in July, it attacked weakly. Ukrainian drones made quick work of the advancing T-72B3A tanks and other vehicles. This operation is taking place because the Russian army is unable to bring reinforcements to the front as anti-tank ditches prevent any Russian mechanized attempt at relief.

The Russian army’s 90th Tank Division and a pair of supporting combined arms armies spent months planning a powerful mechanized assault toward Kramatorsk, one of just two big free cities in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast. It’s not for no reason that the attack apparently failed on July 22. A clutch of Ukrainian air assault brigades meticulously spoiled the attack in a complex operation beginning in April. Counterattacking through gaps in Russian defenses around the village of Komar, 60 miles southwest of Kramatorsk, the paratroopers pinned down half of the 90th Tank Division’s forces. So when the division attack in July, it attacked weakly. Ukrainian drones made quick work of the advancing T-72B3A tanks and other vehicles. Mapper and analyst Clément Molin reverse-engineered the Ukrainian operation from the scant evidence that appeared online through a surprisingly thick veil of information security. For the past six months, the Ukrainian 🇺🇦 army has been on the offensive along a 50-kilometer-wide front, gradually retaking villages lost the previous year. With no official statements and very few videos available, little is known about this "offensive." I have therefore gathered as much information as possible to discuss it. In 2025, the Russian army doubled its rate of advance compared to 2024. Yet, it was not in the Donbas that they were advancing the most. Very early in the year, they seized Velyka Novosilka and pushed north toward Komar and west toward Huliaipole. By the year's end, the situation for Ukraine was critical: defensive lines facing south had been overrun from the east, and the Russian army was steadily closing in on Zaporizhzhia, a city of 800,000 inhabitants. After the capture of Huliaipole, everyone expected Pokrovsk'e, Ternuvate (already infiltrated at the time), and then Orikhiv to fall, placing the Russian army at the gates of Zaporizhzhia by the end of the year. Yet, seven months later, the situation remained unchanged; the Russians are still stalled west of Huliaipole. Worse, they have lost significant territory further north, bringing a halt to this offensive, which, while secondary to the main Donbas campaign, had nonetheless committed a massive force, including five armies and an army corps. 🔸So, what happened? It began in February, when several air-assault brigades repositioned to the region, launched an armored assault under cover of fog, deploying their infantry into contested villages, often behind the initial Russian infiltrators. The villages were methodically cleared, and Ukrainian soldiers began infiltrating southward themselves. In March, they were positioned east and west of Uspenivka, blocking Russian attempts to advance toward Pokrovske and Ternuvate. In response to this offensive, the Russian army sends several naval infantry brigades and divisions, as well as the 68th Army Corps, as reinforcements. Starting in April, air assault brigades repositioned further north with the mission of advancing on Komar. The goal of this redeployment was to prevent the 90th Tank Division from shifting its assets toward Dobropilla. There was no mechanized offensive this time, as the terrain, specifically the presence of several rivers, most notably the Vovtcha, precluded it. Instead, small Ukrainian infantry groups managed to gradually infiltrate as far as the next river, the Mokri Yali. It is important to understand that, despite having been in the area for at least eight months, Russian forces had been unable to consolidate their positions; a network of rivers complicated logistics, and the small size of the villages made it impossible to concentrate large numbers of troops. Consequently, the Ukrainians were able to advance relatively stealthily behind enemy lines, reaching the Mokri Yali River. A strict information blackout was imposed in the area. Apart from a single video (since deleted) showing Ukrainian troops raising a flag over a liberated village, the Ukrainians released nothing regarding an operation that had already been underway for three months. For their part, the Russians continued to obscure the situation: the Vostok Group released only videos that were difficult to geolocate and persisted in sending "suicide" flag-bearers troops, who would reach Iskra and raise the Russian flag, creating an illusion of control. On the map, I have roughly depicted the situation as it has stood over the last few weeks, relying primarily on a handful of geolocated videos, satellite imagery showing air and artillery strikes, and scattered social media statements. Simply put, little is known about the actual state of the front, other than the fact that Ukrainian forces are at the gates of Komar, a move that has forced the 90th Tank Division to keep half its strength committed to that sector. What I am certain of is that all Russian troops positioned north of the Vovcha River (in Ivanivka) or the Solena (in Novopavlivka) have either been killed or captured, judging by the number of Russian air strikes, at least a hundred, carried out in the area. Consequently, the section of the "New Donbass Line" in this sector has held for the tenth consecutive month. It is certain that the Ukrainians have retaken control of the few villages to the south, given the air strikes observed in the zone. For the time being, I will respect Ukrainian OPSEC protocols and refrain from providing further details regarding an ongoing operation, as long as more confirmation are not coming. The Ukrainians are making extensive use of drones to establish a wide exclusion zone in the sector, extending particularly along the river as far as Velyka Novosilka. The operation is proceeding cautiously, with small infantry teams advancing gradually, supported by artillery positioned in the woods to the west and occasional Ukrainian air strikes on Russian drone operator positions in Komar. Overall, it is important to understand that this operation is taking place because the Russian army is unable to bring reinforcements to the front. Furthermore, anti-tank ditches prevent any Russian mechanized or motorized assault aimed at delivering reinforcements. To understand the disarray within the local command, one need only look at its use of air power. Air strikes are being carried out daily deep behind the lines, as far as Prossiana and Chaplyne, 35 to 40 km from the front. While the goal is to hinder the Ukrainian presence, these strikes primarily highlight the ineffectiveness of Russian drones in the sector, particularly the Molniya models. To conclude, this operation not only gained time for Ukraine to further fortify the Pavlohrad direction, it is a direct push in the foot of Russian forces, which can continue further this summer and later in the autumn. I'll continue to monitor this and wait for more official informations regarding the situation here.