02 Oct: Forward! Ukrainians breach Russian defense south of Bakhmut - Reporting from Ukraine

Day 586: Oct 02

Today, there is a lot of good news from the east.

Here, more information became available about the Ukrainian advancement. As mentioned previously, the main barrier that Ukrainians have been trying to overcome once they established total control over Klishchiivka and Andriivka became the railway embankment. Since the embankment goes along the small river, it’s quite tall and hard to cross. Nonetheless, today, Russian sources published a video showing how they attacked Ukrainian positions east of the embankment.

As can be seen from the footage, Ukrainian fighters assumed their positions in the trenches and dugouts prepared by Russian forces, and these positions that the Russians were attacking are between the railways and the reservoirs. Unfortunately, the area is scattered with Russian and Ukrainian bodies around the key trench networks, so the fights here were extremely tough.

Another footage released by the Russian side shows destroyed Ukrainian equipment east of Andriivka. What is interesting is that it is located right behind the entrance to the Russian bunker. As you remember, one of the reasons why it was so hard to take Andriivka was that Russians controlled the bunker right beside the village. The bunker has two entrances: from the western and eastern sides of the embankment – so in order to capture it, Ukrainians tried to cut it off from two sides, immobilize the Russians, and force them to surrender.

In light of the recorded penetrations east of Klishchiivka, northeast and east of Andriivka, Russian analysts concluded that Russian forces, at minimum, no longer have tight control over the railways and, at maximum, were pushed out of all tree lines that go along the rails. Interestingly, the biggest grey zone, according to Russian sources, is southeast of Andriivka. If we look closer, we can see that this area is scattered with mineral deposits, which likely made it extremely difficult for Russians to counterattack once they lost control over the tree lines.

Moreover, recently released footage also suggests that Ukrainians are already operating on the doorstep of Kurdiumivka. A video released by the fighters from the 93rd Mechanized Brigade shows how they conducted artillery and drone strikes on the Russian positions in the tree lines along the canal in preparation for the storming operation. The drones targeted multiple fortifications, inflicting losses on the Russians. Next, Ukrainian assault units conducted a series of storming operations. As a result, new positions were captured, and new gains were secured. The latest available footage from the region shows how Ukrainians cleared the building located just 200 meters from Kurdiumivka and entrenched in the nearby area. A Ukrainian fighter from one of the detachments reported that even though they could already assault Kurdiumivka, there were still too many Russians in the village, which is why, for now, Ukrainians are mostly relying on artillery and drone strikes. The drone operators said that Russian forces here have not faced a tough battle for a long time, which is why the village is full of targets, and the reconnaissance teams are working day and night in coordination with artillery crews.

Overall, Ukrainians managed to breach the next Russian defense line, and now, the primary objective of Ukrainian forces is to entrench and secure new gains. The efforts also require considerable support from artillery because supplying and supporting the groups behind the embankment is still very challenging. The reconnaissance teams scan the area non-stop for potential Russian assault units in order to spot them on time and destroy them before they can counterattack.