The northern part of Donetsk has recently become the hottest place on the map.The Russian army, on the one hand, gathered the naval infantry to attack Bokrovsk, and on the other, The Ukrainian army took out their family wealth and transferred it to Dobropilya to conquer the 132nd Brigade of the Russian army.
On September 18, Zelensky personally rushed to the front line to "punch in". When the camera turned, The Ukrainian army launched a backhand attack. This battle was not only full of sparks, but also a key node that directly affected the overall war situation in Donbass.
Don’t look at just a small corner on the map. That’s deciding who will be the first to launch the next round of deep-seated operations.
1. The abacus behind more pressure: Who is betting on whose energy value?
This wave of Russian operations was not a simple “hard-hard” operation, but a careful set of chess to save Zhao.From Pokrovsk, Konstantinovka to Chernobyl. The rhythm of simultaneous advancement of the three fronts is to "drag" the attention of the Ukrainian army as much as possible.
Especially the marine infantry brigade, such as the high-mobility force, was drawn to the battlefield. Not in order to "do the way", but in order to seize the weak position of the Ukrainian military forces to make a rapid breakthrough.
But the question also comes, this "more flowering" way is pretty good,But the pressure on logistical support is also rising. You must know that the Russian army is not a bottomless pit. Troops, ammunition, and fuel must be transported. Once the supply line is out of the problem, the front line troops struggle again, and it is also a "paper tiger".
The army here is easy, and you don’t have a full deal with it. Directly put the sharp forces, the 1st Army, the airborne assault brigade, to the first line of Dobropilia,This place is not a random choice It is like a necklace, pointing directly to the Russian army side wing, once you have the initiative, you can copy the old bottom.
From the deployment of the Ukrainian Army Commander-in-Chief Silsky, The Ukrainian army doesn't want much, it just wants to create a "pain point" in key areas and use the small to gain the big.
Of course, the Ukrainian army’s “brain storm” also has to land on tools. The Hamas rocket cannon again appeared, becoming the "pioneer" of the strong attack of the Azov Brigade.
To be sure, the Ukrainian army is to take limited high-end equipment, to push the Russian armed front, this method is flexible, but the cost is not small, The Russian army's electronic warfare system and drone reconnaissance capabilities are not vegetarian. Once the firepower is exposed, the Ukrainian army must be careful to be counterattacked.
Zelensky and Silsky personally came to the front, not just "with rhythm,"It's a dual operation of politics and psychology. As soon as the frontline soldiers see the president coming, the mentality of "can't drop the chain" naturally comes up.
But everything has two sides, too many high levels of "pointing the river", sometimes instead of disturbing the rhythm of the front, In short, this operation is more like a “show”: we’re still carrying, we’re still fighting.
“Making Down” Dobropolia: not a victory but a cost
This "protrusion" of Dobropillia, from the map, is indeed not big, but the meaning behind it is not just a simple counterattack.
The Ukrainian army mobilized the 12th and 14th Azov Brigades, in conjunction with the Hamas Fire Force, and fought a "fast forward and fast out" strike, They first suppressed the Russian front positions with fire, then the infantry quickly advanced, taking Boykiewka., this wave of operations can be called a tactical textbook.
But textbooks also have "side effects". This style of play relies heavily on accurate intelligence and logistical follow-up.Once logistics is not in place, you must rush in and go out of the gray face.
What's more, the Russian army's response was not slow. Although the 132nd Brigade suffered losses, But it was not the type of "not fighting back when beaten". They quickly mobilized the reserve team to block the gap and at the same time adjusted the forward deployment. The advance of the Ukrainian army was stuck here.
Speaking of the losses of the 132nd Brigade, it is indeed not small, but the problem is not only the fierce fight of the Ukrainian army, but also the exposure of problems in the Russian army's own system: The rotation rhythm of frontline troops is not smooth, drone communications are interrupted, and the defense line is stretched too long. As a result, the opponent is given a chance.
This also shows one thing from the side: modern warfare is not just about fighting whose firepower is stronger, but also about whose system is more complete.Which collaboration is more effective?
The reason why Dobropolia was so violent, the root is still in its strategic position, Controlling this place is equivalent to holding the "doorknob" leading to Dnepropetrovsk.
Whether the Ukrainian army wants to counter-attack, or the Russian army wants to expand the line, this is a must-have place. Therefore, both sides have lost their blood, and the matter is not in front of the eye, but in the future who said the count.
At the same time, this local high-intensity war of attrition is actually a resource game behind it.Ukraine hopes to eliminate the main force of the Russian army in exchange for a negotiating advantage, while the Russian army wants to use this "meat grinder" to weaken the Ukrainian army's elite troops. To put it bluntly, everyone is betting: whoever can hold on for a long time is qualified to sit at the negotiating table and say the conditions.
Third, behind the situation is the system, the will and foreign aid.
After the loss of the 132nd Brigade, the Russians did not rush back.Instead, the offensive continued to intensify in the direction of Pokrovsk, and on the surface it seemed like “I hit me and I don’t give up my hand”, but in fact it was the Russian military in the implementation of a “flexible defense” strategy. I would rather suffer some losses locally than maintain an offensive posture as a whole. This "attack as defense" style of play is not impulsive, but intentional.
Pressure to attack, Forced troops divided, the line of defense naturally relaxed.
In contrast, the Ukrainian army, despite a wave of orgasm in Dobropolia, the overall situation remains tight,The state of strategic defense remains unchanged, and the distribution of troops remains tense.
The key question is, how long will high-intensity operations last? At present, The reserve mobilization and supplementation system of the Ukrainian army is facing bottlenecks, troops are tense, equipment is aging, training cycles are not able to keep up, all of which could become hidden hazards for the next phase.
While Western aid continues, it is not a “at-coming” express delivery service, from decision-making to delivery. The Ukrainian army often has to wait for several months, which leads to the Ukrainian army having to "count the days to fight" in battle planning.
The Russian army, by adjusting its tactics, For example, the suppression of electronic warfare, interfering with NATO systems, weakened the real-world effectiveness of military aid weapons.
This time gap of "foreign aid and battlefield" is becoming the elbow of the Ukrainian army's operational efficiency.The Russian army, however, took advantage of the opportunity and continued to change tactical techniques, such as the anti-aircraft system specifically targeted at the Himalayan missile. Or use satellite blind spots to conduct small-scale infiltration operations. This "tactical adaptation" capability is becoming a manifestation of the Russian military's battlefield resilience.
Of course, the influence outside the battlefield continues to ferment, and the fighting in Donbass is stagnant. Energy pipelines are frequently interrupted, people's livelihoods are severely damaged, and it is not only Ukraine itself.
The nerves of European countries from food to electricity are drawn, and the humanitarian crisis is spreading across borders., refugee issues, energy security, inflationary pressures, One by one, it’s a chain reaction.
In the northern border of Donetsk,It appears that the two Russian armies are facing each other. The reality is the triple amount of system, resources, and will.
The Russian army used multi-directional attacks to contain opponents, while the Ukrainian army relied on elite counterattacks to maintain its position. This is not a battle that wins with one move, but a protracted battle that can't hold on before anyone else.
Although small, Dobropolia has become the “balance point” of the entire Donbass battlefield. In the future, I am afraid that it will not be just the victory of the front, but also how long the "war machine" behind the two sides will persist.