Bloody battle for Andriivka
72nd Russian Brigade is said to be completely “destroyed”.
September 16, 2023, 10:40 a.m
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The battle for the village of Andriyivka appears to have been even more devastating for the Russian army than initially reported. According to Ukrainian information, the 72nd Brigade is said to have been completely surrounded by Ukrainian troops. It was apparently too late for the Russians to withdraw.
According to the Ukrainian 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, the village of Andriivka was completely surrounded by Ukrainian forces when it was liberated in a “lightning-fast operation.” The command staff of the 72nd motorized rifle brigade of the Russian army was killed and parts of the brigade were surrounded, the 3rd brigade reports on its Telegram channel. During the entire battle, large parts of the army unit were “destroyed” or captured. The entire Russian 72nd Brigade was “destroyed,” and a number of heavy equipment was also destroyed.
“The destruction of this Russian army unit tears a hole in the Russian defenses south of Bakhmut and further complicates the situation for the Russian army, which has already deployed large reserves to the Zaporizhzhia front and is exposing other front lines like this one,” it added.
Russian brigade suffered defeats before
The Russian Army’s 72nd Brigade had run into trouble before. US experts called it “the symbol of the problems of the Russian army” because it had already suffered three crushing defeats. In May, among other things, it was routed by the 3rd Ukrainian assault brigade during the fighting for Bakhmut. The army abandoned its positions on the southwestern outskirts of Bakhmut at the beginning of May, the Ukrainian military said at the time.
The 3rd Assault Brigade takes up this fact in its Telegram message: “We would like to emphasize that the units of the 72nd Separatist Mechanized Brigade of the Russian Federation have repeatedly suffered significant losses and defeats in clashes with the 3rd Assault Brigade in the past,” is it[calledAndfurther:”Nowthattheyhaverecoveredandregroupedtheenemyhassufferedatotalfailure”
The capture and holding of Andriivka is the path to a breakthrough on the right flank of Bakhmut and “the key to the success of the entire offensive,” the Ukrainian side continued. Nevertheless, the 3rd Assault Brigade admits that it is paying a “heavy price for the results of these battles.” “The blood of each of our soldiers will only be repaid with blood,” they conclude their post on Telegram. A Russian brigade usually consists of several thousand soldiers.