Ukrainian army units have destroyed 78 Russian soldiers in an operation to advance up to 1.6 kilometers across several areas of eastern Donetsk region, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky reported on Tuesday. Syrski credited the 33rd Separate Assault Regiment and the 253rd Battalion for the counterattack in Donetsk.
In his words, despite repeated failed offensives by Russian troops, Ukrainian forces carried out clearing and search operations covering 3.4 square kilometers in the Pokrovsk district over the past 24 hours. As of the morning of October 13, during the Dobropillya operation, 182.4 square kilometers had been liberated, and an additional 224.7 square kilometers had been cleared of Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups.
Across the front line, 190 combat clashes were recorded in the last day. Ukrainian forces also struck seven Russian troop and equipment concentration points, according to the General Staff. In the Dobropillya sector, Ukrainian defenders successfully repelled another large-scale Russian assault on the village of Shakhove. The press service of the Azov National Guard’s First Corps reported that Russia used 16 armored vehicles, including infantry fighting vehicles, light armored tractors, and tanks, in its failed attempt to break Ukrainian defenses toward Mirnohrad and Razine.
During the engagement, Ukrainian troops destroyed nine infantry fighting vehicles, four armored personnel carriers, three tanks, and three motorcycles, inflicting permanent losses of 78 Russian soldiers. Azov reported that Russian forces once again relied on their usual tactics - leading with motorcyclists followed by armored vehicles carrying infantry.
In September, Ukrainian troops regained the initiative in the Dobropillya area and began a counteroffensive. By late September, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated that Russian forces had attempted to encircle Ukrainian units near Dobropillya and Pokrovsk but instead found themselves encircled by Ukraine’s counterattacks. “We understand that Russia will now redeploy personnel to try to maintain their positions,” Zelenskiy said, adding that Moscow had already sent its 61st Marine Brigade to the area to halt Ukraine’s advance.
