A blunder by Ukrainian troops appears to have allowed Russian forces to advance and capture large parts of a village unopposed.
Russian troops were able to take most of Ocheretyne, northwest of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, after an apparent rotational error involving Ukraine’s elite 47th Mechanized Brigade and its 115th Mechanized Brigade.
The 47th Mechanized Brigade was due to be relieved by the 115th along the front line just east of Ocheretyne.
But as the 47th pulled back, Russia’s 30th Motor Rifle Brigade attacked, taking advantage of a gap left by the pending arrival of the 115th.
The commander of the 47th, Mykola Melnyk, famed for losing a leg during the summer offensive, wrote on Facebook: “The drastic advancement of the Russians became possible because certain units just fucked off.
“Hope they get retrained as assault troops,” he added.
Vadym Chornyy, a spokesperson for the 115th Brigade, told the Financial Times that the allegations were “not true.”
“The unit did not abandon its position,” he said.
Melnyk said the only reason Russia was unable to continue its advance was because the 47th Brigade rejoined the fight.
“The holes were clogged by those who were planning on taking a break,” he said. “The 47th brigade is back in business. Another month and that will make it a year without rotation.”
An update on the Ukrainian Deep State website, which tracks changes on the battlefield, showed that Russian forces had captured large parts of the village.
Images shared on Telegram also claimed to show a Russian flag flying over a building in the war-torn village.
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Earlier this week, the think tank the Institute for the Study of War said that Russian forces appeared “to be aiming to make a wide penetration of Ukrainian lines northwest of Avdiivka,” but it added that its efforts would likely be hindered by upcoming deliveries of US and Western aid.
The ISW said that attacking Ocheretyne was part of Russia’s “operational-level goal of reaching the Donetsk Oblast administrative boundary via Pokrovsk.”
It comes after part of Ukraine’s 67th Mechanized Brigade was broken up by Ukraine’s defense ministry while it was defending Chasiv Yar, a city north of Avdiivka and close to Bakhmut.
David Axe, a military correspondent and blogger, wrote in an article for Forbes that the 67th was broken up due to disputes between its commanding officers, many of whom he said were members of far-right political groups.
Chasiv Yar is a crucial city in the battle for Ukraine’s Donetsk region, and capturing it would put Russian forces within striking distance of Ukrainian operational and supply centers in the area.
The commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces said earlier this month that Russian troops had been tasked with capturing Chasiv Yar by May 9.
