Fighting in the Pawliwka area and nearby Wuhledar Donetsk, which has been going on for more than a week, turns into a major defeat for Russia. There are serial records showing destroyed tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and bodies strewn around them. There are now many more of these videos than any section of the front.
The situation for the Russians is supposedly so bad that there are dramatic appeals attributed to the soldiers fighting there in the Russian network. They report horrific casualties, stupid officers, lack of success, and ask people back home to do anything to stop the carnage. Officially, however, the Russian authorities claim that all is well and that the losses are minimal.
First success, then disaster
Pavlivka and Wuhledar are small towns on the border of Donetsk and Zaporizhia oblasts. It was occupied by the Russians at the start of the war, but was recaptured by the Ukrainians in the summer in a small local attack. Nothing has changed in recent months, as in the whole region. It was not until the turn of October and November that the Russians launched a decisive attack on Pawliwka.
Pawliwka is at the bottom and center of this map. There is a red arrow next to it. Photo. militaryland.net
Initially, there were reports that the situation for Ukrainians is difficult, and for Russians army to advance. Among other things, there were recordings made by a small Ukrainian unit, whose commander, on the verge of tears, spoke of very hard fighting, heavy losses and a lack of support. Later, he had to decide to abandon his position against the orders of his superiors.
But the roles are reversed. In the following days, however, more and more reports began to appear that the Ukrainian army had deployed reinforcements to the threatened area and launched several counterattacks around 2–3 November. They were to lead to the recovery of most of Pawliwka and surrounding areas. Numerous drone images also began to surface showing the fate of the Russian attacks. For example, the one in which you can see two tanks, which, apparently without cover of infantry and infantry fighting vehicles, rushed through the streets of the city. This is the worst thing you can do, because in such terrain, heavy vehicle crews have very limited visibility and are easily preyed upon by soldiers with anti-tank weapons hidden among buildings. This is also what happened in this case.
The same tank from the point of view of the Ukrainians after the escape of the crew and the second machine.
In addition, the Ukrainians also released numerous records showing destroyed Russian tanks and infantry fighting vehicles in the fields near Pawliwka, even before they reached the village. Some of them were victims of Ukrainian soldiers hiding in the thickets and attacking at close range, others of anti-tank guided missiles fired from small hills behind Pawliwka and Wuhledar which are there. In this video you can see how the Russian tank hits a mine for the first time, loses track and stops. When the crew escapes from the craft, a Ukrainian armour-piercing shell hits it and completes the destruction. Note, blurry, but we can clearly see death.
Another video shows the fate of a whole column of Russian tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. Be careful, at the end you can see the bodies of the Russians from afar.
Letter to Senior Officers
As early as November 3–4, the Russian troop situation was so weak that Russian bloggers and war correspondents began reporting that the offensive “was halted due to bad weather and mud”. On November 6, however, the news quickly spread across the Russian network. A letter allegedly sent by soldiers of the Pacific Fleet’s 155th Marine Brigade to the governor of their homeland of Primorsky has begun to be distributed. It was reproduced by many Russian bloggers and correspondents. No one doubted his credibility.
The soldiers write there that Pawliwka is mainly attacked by their brigade and the sister 40th Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet, stationed in Kamchatka in peacetime. The authors of the letter claim to have suffered terrible losses. 300 killed and wounded in four days of fighting. More than half of the vehicles. For the Marine Brigade, which is theoretically a select unit and has on paper about 1,500 men, it’s a hard blow. Especially since this 155 brigade has already suffered heavy losses in the fighting for Kyiv and then in southern Ukraine. In recent weeks, it has been supplemented with reservists, who, however, do not represent great combat value, since they have hardly undergone any training. Perhaps they wrote the call, because they are much more prone to such actions than professional soldiers.
In the letter, they attack their commanders, General Rustam Muradov (Commander of the Eastern Military District) and Colonel Zurab Akhmetov (Commander of the 155th Brigade). The former was to order an offensive to score points with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, while the latter was to be tempted by an impossible plan for the promised Order of the Hero. Russia. – Both now withhold casualty figures to avoid liability. How did they plan to take the town, avoiding the thickets with the enemies lurking in them, which are now destroying our attempts to deliver supplies and evacuate the wounded? Moreover, Pawliwka is located lower than Wuhledar, from where they attack us now, the letter states.
The soldiers ask the governor of Primorsky Krai, Oleg Kozhemiak, to do something about this. They accuse General Muradow and the Colonel. Akhmetov, that they planned this whole offensive only for their own fame, disregard their subordinates and call them “meat”. They ask for the dispatch of a special commission of inquiry.
The Russian system, however, remained unshakable. Governor Kożemiak publicly acknowledged that he had received the letter, but called the authors’ claims “exaggeration”. We contacted the commanders. This is how the fighting is intense and there are casualties, but they are far from what is described in this letter – he said and added that he had referred the matter to the office of the military prosecutor for review. On November 7, the Russian Ministry of Defense also reacted, which is extremely rare in such situations and indicates its seriousness. It was officially assured that the offensive on Pawliwka was proceeding as planned, and the Ukrainian positions were pushed back for several kilometres. – Thanks to a competent command, the losses of the detachment are minimal. About one percent killed and 7 percent injured, but most of them have already returned to duty, it was said.
A wound that won’t heal quickly
The Gray Zone Telegram channel, which first published the soldiers’ letter, reacted with scathing irony. – As for the losses, according to direct information from participants in the fighting, they are much worse than what the ministry says. I could also write something about losses in tanks, but if I keep quiet about daytimethen maybe I will have nothing to write – said the blogger of the channel, which is an important part of the ecosystem of Russian nationalists who strongly support war and destruction of Ukraine, but also by strongly and openly criticizing Russia’s current leadership and officer corps.
– In a few days everything will calm down and the mobilized survivors will be withdrawn from the front. They will go where they have phone coverage. And then the informational Armageddon will begin. Already without the participation of correspondents – concluded the blogger.
Everything indicates that the Ukrainians held at least part of Pawliwka. It is not known if it is full, as there are regular reports of Russians on its southern edge. There is no doubt, however, that the Russian strike ended very badly and that the truth that is emerging will cause problems for the authorities.
