Battle of Vuhledar

Battle of Vuhledar
Part of the eastern Ukraine campaign of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Destruction in Vuhledar from fighting and shelling, September 2024
Date28 October 2022 – 1 October 2024[a]
(1 year, 11 months and 3 days)
Location
Vuhledar, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine
47°47′N 37°15′E / 47.783°N 37.250°E / 47.783; 37.250
Result Russian victory[1]
Belligerents
 Russia  Ukraine
Commanders and leaders
Rustam Muradov
Sukhrab Akhmedov
Mikhail Gudkov[2]
Units involved

First main battle:

First main battle:

Strength
First main battle:
20,000 troops
90 main battle tanks
180 IFVs
100 artillery pieces[12][13]		 Unknown
Casualties and losses

Ukrainian claim:

  • 155th Brigade: ~5,000 killed, wounded or captured
    130 armored vehicles destroyed, including 36 tanks[14][15]
  • 72nd Brigade:
    30 tanks and BMPs destroyed[16]
  • 5th Brigade: 304 killed, 22 wounded
    [5][17]
Confirmed losses:
88+ armored vehicles, including 25+ tanks[18]		 Ukrainian claim:
"As many as" 60 killed or wounded a day (September 2022 only)[19]
100 killed or wounded (one battalion; Nov. '22–Feb. '23)[20]
Russian claim:
200 killed or wounded (January 24–25 2023)[6]
Equipment losses:
20 armored vehicles destroyed, including two tanks[21]
60 civilians killed[22]

The battle of Vuhledar was a major battle between the Russian and Ukrainian Armed Forces for control of Vuhledar, a city in Donetsk Oblast, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian commanders described the clashes as "the largest tank battle" of the Russo-Ukrainian War to date.[23]

The first main Russian effort to capture the city took place in the early months of 2023, following an advance through the surrounding area of Vuhledar the preceding year. This assault in and around the city ended in a failure, with large-scale losses, and the dismissal of commander Rustam Muradov, who led the attack. Similarly unsuccessful small-scale attempts at advancing near the city were launched throughout 2023 and the first half of 2024.

In late August 2024, a renewed large-scale effort to capture Vuhledar was launched. Aided by the support of simultaneous advances on the city's southern, western, and eastern flanks, Russian forces near-encircled Vuhledar by late September, while storming the city itself. On 1 October, Vuhledar was captured.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference telegraph101 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "'Why is this body still lying here?'. Marine from Russia's Vladivostok shares thoughts about the war in Ukraine". 18 December 2012.
  3. ^ "Smashed by Ukrainian Mines and Artillery, Russia's Winter Offensive Just Ground to a Halt Outside Vuhledar". Forbes. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  4. ^ Eckel, Mike (3 March 2023). "What Happened in Vuhledar? A Battle Points to Major Russian Military Problems". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  5. ^ a b "'They threatened to shoot us if we didn't advance' — Russian soldiers deployed near Ukraine's Vuhledar ask Putin for help". Novaya Gazeta Europe (in Russian). 26 March 2023. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Armed Forces of Ukraine lose first line of defence near Vuhledar". 25 January 2023. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  7. ^ Bertina, Alec (27 June 2023). "PMC Veterans (60 OMSB Veteran): Putin's Loyalists". Grey Dynamics. Archived from the original on 12 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  8. ^ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 21" (PDF). Institute for the Study of War. 21 August 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 August 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  9. ^ "Shoigu deploys his Private Military Company, which competes with Wagner Group, to war against Ukraine". pravda.com.ua. Archived from the original on 11 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  10. ^ "Attacking Vuhledar, Russia previews new push to seize southeast Ukraine". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  11. ^ Funeral held for Belarusian activist killed in Ukraine
  12. ^ "'Like turkeys at a shooting range': Mauling of Russian forces in Donetsk hotspot may signal problems to come". CNN. 13 February 2023. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  13. ^ Ukraine War, 2 February 2023: Vuhledar
  14. ^ Melkozerova, Veronika (12 February 2023). "Russia may have lost an entire elite brigade near a Donetsk coal-mining town". Politico. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 13 February 2023. Russian forces also were losing 150-300 marines a day near Vuhledar, Dmytrashkivskyi said. He estimated the brigade to have comprised some 5,000 soldiers in all, whose members had been killed, wounded or taken prisoner.
  15. ^ "Elite Russian Marine Unit 'Nearly Destroyed' Near Ukraine's Vuhledar". 14 February 2023. Archived from the original on 29 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
  16. ^ "Smashed by Ukrainian Mines and Artillery, Russia's Winter Offensive Just Ground to a Halt Outside Vuhledar". Forbes. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  17. ^ Santora, Marc (16 February 2023). "Moscow's Military Capabilities Are in Question After Failed Battle for Ukrainian City - The New York Times". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  18. ^ "Vuhledar Russian losses per Warspotting.net". Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  19. ^ "'A day without dead Russians isn't a complete day'". Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  20. ^ Ukraine's counteroffensive struggles against Russian fortifications, airpower
  21. ^ Top Russian General Dismissed After Vuhledar Defeat
  22. ^ "Living Amid the Ruins: Defiant Residents of a Ukrainian Frontline Town Refuse to Flee". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).