Frontline report: Ukrainian Azov brigade advances in Serebrianskyi forest, taking POWs

27 July. Today, there are a lot of developments in the Serebryansky forest area.

Ukrainians set the stage for future counteroffensive operations, endangering the entire Russian salient toward the river. North of the forest, Russians have tried for over a year now to eliminate the Ukrainian bridgehead east of the Zherebets River, to cross it and take control of Lyman, consolidating their gains in the process. Ukrainian defenses here held firm, for a large part, due to constant Ukrainian operations in the forest, undercutting Russian logistics and any attempt at a westward assault.

Ukrainian brigades active in the forest have indeed demonstrated this, releasing many videos of them dismantling Russian mechanized assaults with a mix of drones and artillery fire. Russian units in the area were suffering from an extremely high casualty rate, allowing Ukrainians to counterattack and regain many lost positions. On the other hand, the frontline in the forest is inherently static due to the high density of trees and trench fortifications covering the entire area. However, recent successful Ukrainian counterattacks have shown that Ukrainians can advance in the forest under the right circumstances and with specialized assault brigades.

Russian military analysts noted that this opens up the possibility for Ukrainians to launch a localized counteroffensive in the forest to attack the Russian Dibrova-Kuzmyne-Kreminna line of settlements. If such a Ukrainian assault proves to be successful, instead of just harassing the Russian salient, Ukrainians would be able to cut it off completely, undoing over a year of Russian offensive efforts. To achieve such an ambitious goal, Ukrainians have to create ideal circumstances and take the most advantageous tactical and strategic positions. To get to that point, Ukrainians must first eliminate the threat of Russian attacks to focus all their preparations and resources on offensive actions.

Ukrainians continue to reinforce the forest area with manpower and strengthen their positions against Russian artillery and assaults. Ukrainian and International brigades active in the forest continue to engage in small-scale skirmishes with Russian units and positions. These brigades shared a multitude of footage showing them repulsing Russian attacks and harassing Russian positions with small arms fire, machine guns, and rocket-propelled grenades. Ukrainians were even able to advance a tank up to Russian trench fortifications, destroying them with the continuous, direct fire of high explosive grenades.

The Ukrainian 63rd mechanized brigade shared footage of them firing at Russian positions in and around the forest with conventional, cluster, and rocket artillery, as well as showcasing the extensive use of drone-dropped grenades. Ukrainians targeted Russian drone capabilities, tracking and destroying a Russian reconnaissance drone team behind Kreminna. The original uncensored footage of all Ukrainian operations can be found on our Telegram channel through the link in the description.

The 12th special purpose assault brigade was most prominent in the forest operations. They shared geolocated footage of them placing mines on Russian roads, thereby destroying a tank and an infantry fighting vehicle on their way to assault Ukrainian positions. The 12th brigade’s drone operators also state they hold Russian logistic routes in the forest under complete drone control. They state that they circumvent Russian electronic warfare systems in the fortifications themselves by going around and striking Russian supply lines from behind, starving them of reinforcements. It’s important to note that due to the previous large forest fires, which raged predominantly on the Russian side of the forest, many wooden fortifications, ammunition, and equipment burned down. While the fires simultaneously made it impossible to advance without serious risk, Russians were hit hard by these. This caused Russian units operating in the forest to already be short on material and in desperate need to repair their positions. A shortage and damage that was only worsened by Ukrainian strikes.

With Ukrainian artillery, drones, and skirmishes disrupting Russian recovery and fighting potential in the forest, logistical strikes undermining Russian reinforcements routes, and finally, Russian drone reconnaissance capabilities weakened, it was time for Ukrainians to start launching assaults. Ukrainians launched a series of rapid attacks on Russian trenches, strongholds, and fortifications all throughout the forest. The 12th Brigade Azov also took the lead, sharing GoPro footage of one of their operations. The footage shows Ukrainians launching the attack in the early morning, right as the sun came up.

When Russians were likely still sleeping in their trenches, they coordinated their assault to move in simultaneously from all sides, surprising and overwhelming Russian defenders in an instant. The assault group systematically moved through the trenches, engaging and clearing Russian fighters out of their dugouts with grenades and small arms fire. The assault lasted no longer than 20 minutes, and the fighters quickly took up defensive positions to repel a possible Russian counterattack.

In another raid, as a fighter surrounded a Russian preliminary dugout, the three Russian soldiers inside immediately surrendered. In a later interview, these Russian prisoners of war stated that they were being sent out with little training or support and that out of their company of 110 soldiers, only 30 were still alive. The Ukrainian assaults were highly successful. Both Russian and Ukrainian sources reported that the Ukrainians had advanced over 1 kilometer in only one day. Russian geolocated footage also confirms the success of other Ukrainian assaults in the center, showing how Ukrainians repelled Russian assaults and survived Russian artillery and mortar barrages.

Only one video shows that Russians were able to make it into one specific trench and encircle Ukrainian fighters in a dugout. Unfortunately for the Russians, Ukrainians had communicated their predicament, whereafter numerous FPV kamikaze drones quickly came to the rescue, completely dismantling the Russian assault. Overall, the Ukrainian assaults were a massive success. Combined Ukrainian operations completely undermined the Russian defensive situation, allowing for a series of well-executed attacks on Russian fortifications in the forest. Due to Ukrainian logistical strikes, Russians could only muster small squads of infantry to conduct their counterattacks, allowing them to be swiftly defeated. The Russian footage also shows that Ukrainians successfully held and secured their positions, massively increasing their area of control. If Ukrainians can continue to undermine Russians in the forest, they will be able to systematically clear Russian positions and fully expose the underbelly of the Russian salient.

In our daily frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.