Ukraine’s 24th Brigade faces critical battle amid tactical blunder

Ukrainian troops are engaged in a fierce battle for the city of Toretsk in eastern Ukraine, which Russia is trying to wipe off the face of the earth.

As "The New York Times" reports, despite Russia's successes on the front, military analysts and American officials state that "a major breakthrough remains unlikely." However, suppose Russian forces manage to capture the old defensive bastions in the Toretsk area. In that case, they can approach Kostyantynivka - the logistical fortress of Ukrainian forces in the east.

Furthermore, if Russia advances a few miles more, it will expose cities in the Donetsk region to even more terrifying bombings. Hundreds of thousands of civilians will be forced to flee, complicating the logistics of Ukrainian defense in the east. This makes the defense of Toretsk, as well as Chasiv Yar, critical, the daily notes.

According to the military, the Toretsk agglomeration suffered greatly in the first weeks of the war, but its defense never waned.

"The trenches were deep, the dugouts were well organized, the control posts were good and everything was working. We understood the enemy and understood their movements and how to react," says Petro Liakhovych, senior sergeant of the 2nd Battalion of the 24th Mechanized Brigade, which directs the defense in this direction.

However, in May, the 24th Brigade was informed that it was being transferred to Chasiv Yar to halt the Russian offensive in that direction and would be replaced by the 41st Mechanized Brigade.

"Soldiers from the 24th said they were already seeing signs of an imminent attack on Toretsk and warned senior commanders against the rotation at such a critical time," writes NYT.

Such unit rotation can be extremely dangerous as new units need time to acclimate to the new terrain.

The rotation lasted several weeks, and in early June, the 41st Brigade was transferred from Chasiv Yar and assumed command in the Toretsk area. And two days after the rotation ended - according to soldiers - the Russians attacked.

"It was a big mistake that we were taken from there," says a soldier of the 24th Brigade.

As reported by "NYT," it quickly became clear that the 41st Brigade was not ready to defend Toretsk as they did not know the terrain. The brigade commander was also criticized for issuing unclear orders and lacking quick response to changing threats.

According to Heorhiy Tuka, former Minister for Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons and a former soldier of the 206th Regiment, too few Ukrainian soldiers were sent to the Toretsk area, and the 41st Regiment issued offensive orders to light infantry units that exceeded their capabilities, leading to heavy losses.

"The 41st no longer has command in the Toretsk area. Ukraine has dispatched some of its best brigades to try and stabilize the situation, but they are stretched thin. And the fierce fighting, soldiers said, could complicate any hope Kyiv has of seizing the initiative and going back on the offensive," writes NYT.

In response to "NYT's" request, the General Staff of Ukraine refused to discuss operational details. Still, it stated that the military command "always takes into account a reasonable initiative and suggestions of field commanders."

Meanwhile, soldiers from various brigades currently fighting in the area stated that they would leave it to others to judge what went wrong and focus on stopping the advancing Russians.

Analysts from the DeepState project reported that the enemy was only 100 yards from the outskirts of Toretsk.