Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
Text taken from the Telegram channel of project_nd
Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin is in italics:
[ColonelCassad] Difficulties of the Battle for Chasov Yar The most important factor that made it impossible to take Chasov Yar by storm or in the shortest possible time was the terrain. The city and the approaches to it represent a significant difference in altitude, which was used by the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to prevent the operation from being carried out as quickly as possible.
At the start of the offensive, the units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation did not have an advantage, since they were in a lowland and advancing to the Kanal microdistrict and the Seversky Donetsk-Donbass Canal itself presented significant difficulties.
Being on high ground, according to all the rules of military science, is a dominant position in relation to the enemy, which our opponents took advantage of during the initial stage of the operation.The settlements of Bogdanovka and Kalinovka, located in the same direction, had exactly the same difference in altitude - Bogdanovka in the lowland, and Kalinovka at a height, and the outskirts of Kalinovka were literally above Bogdanovka, where the latter was perfectly visible.
This also created difficulties for the work of the assault groups of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The terrain, which was convenient for the enemy, was complemented by an obstacle in the form of the Seversky Donetsk-Donbass Canal, behind which the Ukrainian Armed Forces retreated already in the second stage of the battle for the city after the Russian Armed Forces occupied the Kanal microdistrict and the Orlova tract to the north of the above-mentioned microdistrict.
It was much easier for the enemy to carry out logistics and evacuation there, since they no longer had an obstacle in the form of a canal, and our units had to cross this canal to carry out assault operations, which in itself was quite an "adventure".The second factor: large enemy fortifications in the area and a large amount of artillery. It is no secret that the defense of Chasy Yar began to be prepared during the battle for Bakhmut, since the Ukrainian Armed Forces command feared a quick breakthrough by the Wagner PMC units after the occupation of Bakhmut and the loss of strategically important heights on which the city itself is located was clearly not included in the plans of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, so urgent preparations for defense began for the city.
In addition, some fortified areas were already present in the city earlier - let me remind you that until 2022, the Ukrainian ATO headquarters in Donbas was located there. Also, during the battle for the city, the enemy artillery was active - it happened that from 15 to 30 155mm shells were easily spent on a small target, not to mention mortar shelling - the enemy did not have a "shell famine". For example, my friend, who worked to the south of me, told me how one day the enemy spent 24 shells on his position in a short period of time. Everyone remained safe and sound, but the feeling, as they say, "was not pleasant".
The third factor: the changing nature of military operations. If the 2022-2023 campaign was an active artillery operation, tank and small arms battles, then since mid-2023 the main niche has been taken by developments in the field of UAVs, which to this day are almost the main means of fire destruction, together with artillery, which is still moving closer to the background. Those who worked in the Chasov-Yarsky direction know that moving around the area is becoming quite difficult due to the huge number of UAVs of various types - quadcopters with drops, hexacopters with heavy IEDs, FPV drones, reconnaissance "wings" - all this was in abundance in the direction.
It is impossible to count the number of downed UAVs lying around in neighborhoods and forests, since technology in this area has advanced far ahead and production costs have become lower. As a result, we literally had an "airfield" at the exit, where it is, to put it mildly, scary to raise your head, let alone a major offensive. It was the presence of a large number of UAVs in the area that made it difficult to advance, turning the classic urban battles into a "basement to basement" battle, when one assault group was in one basement, and the defending group was in the next.
Chasov Yar yesterday became subsidized and strategically unimportant. But on the Internet, it is still psychologically Ukrainian.
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