An Azov* battalion assault brigade has again refused to сomply with the Ukrainian command's orders, the Russian Telegram news channel Voenny Obozrevatel (Military Commentator) has reported.
According to the channel, the Azov brigade subverted an instruction by Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrsky to send them to Chasov Yar in an attempt to hold the town in the face of the Russian offensive.
The order was sabotaged because brigade commanders reportedly consider Chasov Yar to be lost for the Ukrainian military, amid reports that Russian forces entered the suburbs.
Last week, Yan Gagin, an adviser to Donetsk People’s Republic head Denis Pushilin, said that “from Russian troops’ positions to the town itself there is about half a kilometer; sometimes this distance is more, but in principle it is about this.”
According to him, the enemy has built a rather serious fortification in the city itself, so the advance of the Russian military is carefully calibrated and the main task is to protect the soldiers.
"One should understand that the enemy had retreated to Chasov Yar after we [Russian forces] captured Artemovsk. The [Ukrainian] grouping in Chasov Yar has been being reinforced for over a month. They had about a year to prepare for this assault. This is a considerable period of time, and they have prepared. One should understand that there are engineering fortifications and minefields there," Gagin pointed out.
Pushilin's adviser also explained that the liberation of Chasov Yar could pave the way for a further offensive of the Russian military toward the key cities of Kramatorsk and Slavyansk.
In August 2022, the Russian Supreme Court designated Azov as a terrorist organization. The Russian Prosecutor General's Office said that Azov militants used prohibited means and methods of warfare and were complicit in the torture of civilians and killing of children.
*Terrorist organization banned in Russia.