The Russians capture Kirovo, a suburb of Toretsk after a surprise maneuver that caused huge losses within the Ukrainian defense.
The Russian forces repeated the “Avdiivka maneuver” (it took its name from the city of the same name as it was used there for the first time), and came out through tunnels in the “back” of the Ukrainians.
According to information, the soldiers of the “Veterans” unit dug a three-kilometer tunnel to bypass the Ukrainian fortifications on the eastern outskirts of the settlement of Kirovo.
Military expert Viktor Litovkin noted:
“Our guys are great, it’s not the first time they’ve used a tunnel and gone into the enemy’s rear, attacking the enemy from behind, creating panic and confusion. This military ingenuity and military technique helped our guys understand the target,” he said.
▪️The Russians cleared and secretly used a 3km long tunnel along the Seversky Donetsk channel, penetrating the rear of a well-fortified redoubt at Kirovo (Severne) with several firing points and underground shelters. Through the tunnel, the Russians created a supply line for the attacking troops, providing them with ammunition, weapons and food.
Using the element of surprise, the soldiers of the Russian unit capitalized on their success and took full control of the fort, forcing the Ukrainian forces to either surrender or abandon their positions and retreat.
Information speaks of few hundred dead and wounded Ukrainians.
The situation in the Toretsk region is as follows:
After the capture of Sumy, the Russian forces of the “Center” group captured Leninskoye and entered Yuzhnoye (Pivdenne).
Ukrainian military analysts acknowledge the Russian advance and note:
► “The Russians advanced on the village of Pivdenne and its surroundings in an area up to 1.65 km wide and up to 2.3 km deep.
► “East of Druzhba settlement, Russian Forces have already established a temporary deployment point in one of the pump station buildings” (pump station of the 3rd lift of the Seversky Donets-Donbass canal west of the Mayorsk checkpoint).
► The attack on New York (formerly Novgorod) is underway on day 5. The Russians broke through Ukrainian defenses from the south as well, capturing a number of houses.
► The attack on Severny (Kirovo) continues, Russian forces are deployed in the eastern and southeastern parts of the settlement.
► In the Ozaryanovka-Druzhba area and near Kirovo, Russian units drove the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the drained reservoirs on the east bank of the canal and the Vostochnaya mine waste heap.
► The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reports that in the direction of Gorlovka-Toretsk, Russian troops, with the support of the air force, attacked the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine 15 times.