Frontline report: Bodies of Russian soldiers pile up after failed frontal assault south of Pokrovsk

11 December 2024. Today there are a lot of updates from the Pokrovsk direction in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast.

Screenshot from Reporting From Ukraine’s video.

Here, Russian forces have repeatedly relied on their manpower advantage to overwhelm Ukrainian defenses through sheer numbers. This brutal tactic was starkly evident in their latest assault, where over 400 Russian soldiers launched a single-day offensive that ultimately highlighted the limits of numerical superiority against well-prepared and resolute defenders.

Strategic importance of Pokrovsk area

The Russian goals toward Pokrovsk are centered on capturing the city and establishing a strategic foothold, as the city is a critical urban center, serving as a logistics and transport hub. Its capture would disrupt Ukrainian supply lines, weaken defensive operations in surrounding areas, and provide a launching point for further advances into Ukrainian territory.

Redeployment and tactical objectives

A Ukrainian servicemember recently stated that Russian forces were redeploying a significant number of troops from Novooleksiivka to break through toward the line of villages of Shevchenko, Dachenske, and Lysivka. While continuing to attack Dachenske and Lysivka, Russian commanders also put a lot of effort into advancing along the railway north of Zhovte to capture the village of Shevchenko.

Screenshot from Reporting From Ukraine’s video.

This move would allow them to put the Ukrainian forces defending Dachenske and Lysivka under additional pressure, threatening to collapse the rest of the Ukrainian defense line to the east. If successful, the Russians can also use Shevchenko as a staging ground for their future operations against Pokrovsk, as the village is close to one of the city neighborhoods.

Human wave tactics and failed assault

To achieve this, Russian forces engaged themselves in a desperate gamble, concentrating their efforts on this direction, launching wave after wave of infantry assaults. According to the Ukrainian fighter from the 24th Battalion, the Ukrainian reconnaissance counted hundreds of assault troops surging toward fortified Ukrainian positions.

ISW: Russians reach within 6 km from Pokrovsk, prepare attack from south

The aim appeared simple yet devastating: to overwhelm through sheer numbers, leveraging the human wave tactic that has become a hallmark of Russian regional operations. These troops were predominantly foot soldiers, advancing with non-substantial mechanized support due to the heavy losses of armored vehicles in the previous weeks. This even led to one assault captured by Ukrainian drone operators, showing how the Russians were trying to attack using a “Zhiguli” LADA car but failed spectacularly after being struck by a hail of bullets.

Screenshot from Reporting From Ukraine’s video.

Ukrainian defensive strategy

Despite the scale of the assault, the Ukrainian defenders were well-prepared to hold their ground. They were positioned strategically along the first line of defense and used a combination of entrenched positions, artillery, drones, and minefields to devastating effect. Lieutenant Colonel Nazar Voloshyn of the Ukrainian armed forces noted that minefields played a crucial role in their defense, destroying a significant portion of the scarce Russian military equipment at the very beginning of the assault.

Without armored support, Russian troops advanced across open fields, leaving themselves highly exposed to Ukrainian counterfire. Waves of attackers were cut down before they could even approach the Ukrainian defensive lines, crushing into the well-coordinated and prepared resistance. Despite the Russians sending hundreds of soldiers to breach the frontline, the relentless Ukrainian defenses turned the battlefield into a scene of devastation.

Screenshot from Reporting From Ukraine’s video.

Images shared by Ukrainian soldiers reveal the grim aftermath: the bodies of fallen Russian soldiers, piled up high against a wall somewhere along this sector, evidence of the catastrophic failure of this high-casualty assault strategy.

Screenshot from Reporting From Ukraine’s video.

Geolocated footage from recent engagements in the other two hot points in the frontline indicates that Russian forces are struggling there as well, failing to secure even minor tactical gains around the settlements of Dachenske and Lysivka.

Screenshot from Reporting From Ukraine’s video.

At the same time, these high-intensity efforts have come at a staggering cost in manpower. In Lysivka, for example, daily attempts to secure footholds have been repelled, with Ukrainian defenders neutralizing enemy troops before they can establish fortified positions.

Continued struggles in surrounding areas

Overall, as the battle for Pokrovsk continues, it remains to be seen whether Russian forces will adapt or continue to pay a heavy price in pursuit of incremental gains by focusing on human wave tactics. For now, the defenders stand firm, turning what was intended to be a show of overwhelming force into a hugely costly tactical miscalculation.

Screenshot from Reporting From Ukraine’s video.

The growing “pile of bodies” left on the battlefield suggests that this approach may be achieving the opposite effect, strengthening the Ukrainian resolve and highlighting the effectiveness of their defensive preparations.

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.

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