Russian soldiers liberated most of the rural settlement of Ocheretino amid conflicting reports demonstrating the confusion and dysfunctionality that has increasingly taken hold within the Ukrainian armed forces. According to the report, Mykola Melnyk, the commander of Kiev’s 47th Mechanized Brigade, claimed Russia’s advance occurred because of an error made while rotating Ukrainian troops in the settlement, leaving it unguarded.
Melnyk’s Brigade was scheduled to be replaced by another, but the 47th pulled back before its replacement actually arrived. The gap in coverage allowed Russia to enter practically unopposed, according to the account.
If true, the report is indicative of Russia’s strategy in recent months as Moscow is able to slowly grind down Ukrainian forces, taking advantage of errors and the brittleness of enemy lines as Kiev’s under-equipped army approaches collapse. Melnyk claimed his brigade was one month shy of serving for a full year without a rotation, underscoring the strain faced by Ukraine’s understaffed forces.
But Vadym Chorny, the head of the brigade due to replace the 47th, claimed the report was false, suggesting there is still confusion about what actually took place.
Ukrainian troops have suffered a breakdown in cohesion and discipline recently, with entire divisions reportedly refusing to take orders from newly-appointed commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky. Previous military chief Valerii Zaluzhny was viewed more favorably by members of the country’s military, but Zaluzhny was replaced due to being seen as a political threat to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Zaluzhny was purportedly designated the country’s ambassador to the United Kingdom although the former commander’s current whereabouts remain a mystery.
The breakdown of Kiev’s military was demonstrated in dramatic fashion in February when Ukrainian troops in Avdeyevka suddenly fled their positions en masse under Russian pressure. A complete disintegration of military command occurred as troops spontaneously abandoned their positions, allowing Russia to liberate the key city.
Recent accounts have suggested particularly fractious relations between extremist contingents within Ukraine’s army, many of whom reportedly reject the command of new commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky. Recently Ukraine's 67th Mechanized Brigade was broken up by the country’s defense ministry amid disputes between neo-Nazi commanding officers while trying to hold the city of Chasov Yar.
21 September 2023, 19:18 GMT
A significant far-right presence exists within Ukraine’s armed forces, with the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion forming perhaps the most notorious grouping. Photographs of Ukrainian soldiers sporting Nazi tattoos have repeatedly surfaced online, causing significant embarrassment for the country and its troops.
It’s thought that Russia intends to liberate Chasov Yar to enjoy a commanding position amidst Ukrainian operational centers in the region on its way to completely liberating the Donetsk Peoples’ Republic.