Ukrainian army repels one of largest mechanized attacks by Russia in Donetsk region - ISW

Analysts note that the Ukrainian Armed Forces halted a reinforced Russian mechanized attack, numbering up to a battalion, near Kostyantynivka after Russian troops advanced to the southeastern outskirts of the settlement.

According to a statement by the Ukrainian brigade operating in the Kurakhiv direction, the Russians simultaneously deployed 11 tanks, 45 armored fighting vehicles, a rare Terminator combat vehicle, 12 motorcycles, and approximately 200 personnel from several tactical directions in the attack.

The brigade also reported that Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance detected the Russian mechanized columns from a distance, after which the Ukrainian Armed Forces used artillery, drones, and minefields to repel the Russian advance.

As a result of the clashes, Ukrainian forces damaged or destroyed 6 Russian tanks, 7 armored fighting vehicles, and all 12 motorcycles. After the first wave of equipment was destroyed, the enemy retreated.

The ISW last observed Russian forces conducting a mechanized attack the size of a battalion in the Donetsk region in March 2024. Larger mechanized assaults had not been conducted since the early days of the four-month operation to capture Avdiivka in October 2023.

Analysts suggest that the occupiers likely intended to advance further toward Kostyantynivka as part of their conditions to capture the settlement and cut off the T-0524 Vuhledar-Kostyantynivka highway.

The agency reminded that Russian sources have long identified the closure of the T-0524 highway and the disruption of Ukrainian ground lines of communication with Vuhledar as a primary tactical goal in this direction.

A Russian war correspondent recently suggested that Russian forces would intensify operations south of Kostyantynivka, aiming to force the Ukrainian Armed Forces to retreat from positions in and around Vuhledar.

In turn, the ISW forecasts that the Russian army is unlikely to achieve operationally significant successes in this area shortly, even if they achieve tactically significant gains and force Ukrainian forces to withdraw from nearby positions.

This is due to the surrounding area lacking operationally significant targets, being mainly composed of fields and isolated small settlements, and lacking significant tactical heights nearby.

On the previous day, July 25, there were 126 combat clashes on the front. The enemy showed the most activity in the Pokrovsk direction, attempting to break the Ukrainian defense 31 times.