Failed attempts to capture Vuhledar, bypass Vuhledar, or come anywhere near Vuhledar have become an almost daily occurrence. Several of these failed assaults have resulted in losses so significant they’ve been compared to the
Bilohorivka bridge debacle in terms of both the men and machines lost.
This morning, there are multiple reports that Russia mounted another such assault on Tuesday, resulting in another round of losses on the same stretch of road where literally dozens of burned-out Russian vehicles already litter the shoulders. The reason for that seems to be some severe pressure being applied to Colonel General Rustam Muradov, who is in charge of Russian forces in the area.
Muradov was actually
promoted following the first two big failures at Vuhledar, but he was apparently sent back with orders to make it happen. That led to another assault on Wednesday in which at least a half dozen more armored vehicles were reportedly destroyed, along with unknown numbers of troops.
But even if Muradov is feeling the pressure to organize another attack, After watching their fellow soldiers walk to their deaths along the same stretch of road over and over,
the Ukrainian ministry of defense reports that Russian forces in the area appear to have a different idea.
"Troops from the so-called volunteer Cossack Detachment, attached to the 155th Marine Brigade of the Russian Pacific Fleet, are refusing to continue to take part in offensive operations due to the failure of the offensive and significant personnel losses near Vuhledar."
This may or may not be accurate. But it’s not hard to understand if those troops decided this has become ridiculous.
