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A coal city on top of a hill is a tactical prize during the war in Ukraine


KYIV, Ukraine – In a small coal-mining town on Ukraine’s eastern front line, a battle for strategic advantage is underway on a battlefield steeped in symbolism as the anniversary of the Russian invasion approaches.

The town of Vugledar, which means “gift of coal”, has become a critical flashpoint in the battle for Donetsk province, which would give both sides — the Ukrainian forces holding the city center and the Russians stationed on the outskirts — difficulties. tactical advantage in the great battle for Donbass.

Located on a hill that is one of the few places with high terrain in the area, its capture would be a major step in Russia’s plans to disrupt Ukrainian supply lines. Securing Ugledar would give Ukraine a potential launch pad for future counteroffensives to the south.

In addition, there is symbolic weight: Ugledar is close to the administrative border of Donetsk Oblast, and a victory there would play into Russia’s larger goal of controlling the region as a whole.

“The center of gravity of the Russian military effort is in Donetsk, and Vugledar is basically its southern flank,” said Gustav Gressel, a senior fellow at the Berlin office of the European Council on Foreign Relations.

The population dropped from 14,000 to about 300 people

The fierce struggle for victory in this area has cost Russia manpower and weapons, as the Ukrainians continue to hold defensive lines. Russia is sending battalion-sized reconnaissance teams to probe Ukrainian lines and fire artillery at their positions with the aim of advancing north to the critical N15 highway, a key supply route.

A Ukrainian soldier fires a mortar at Russian troops at a forward position near the town of Vugledar, during Russia’s offensive against Ukraine, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, on February 11, 2023.

In his speech this week, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Russian troops are “successfully” advancing in Ugledar. Meanwhile, a British intelligence briefing said that Russia’s aim was to seize unoccupied areas of Donetsk, which is controlled by Ukraine, but that it was unlikely to build up the forces needed to change the outcome of the war.

The pre-war population of Ugledar was reduced from 14,000 people to about 300. Most of the town’s residents worked in the coal mine and nearby factories before the war.

Olga Kiselyova, who was recently evacuated, worked at a brick factory before the fighting changed her life.

According to residents, Russian troops have intensified their attacks since January 24. On that day, a rocket tore apart the nine-story Kiseleva building. She was hiding in the basement with her three children and discovered a hole in the roof of her third-floor apartment.

At that moment, she decided to leave her hometown.

“I cried the whole way out, I didn’t want to leave,” she said.

The city is tactically important

Three Ukrainian brigades are stationed in Ugledar and on the outskirts of the city. The Associated Press spoke with five unit commanders from all three, who gave only their first names in line with Ukraine’s military policy. The 155th Marine Corps of Russia is located only 4 kilometers away in the suburb of Ugledar.

The city is tactically important for both sides.

“This is one of the main logistical and technical points of Donbass, as well as one of the main points of height,” said Maxim, deputy commander of the Ukrainian Marine Corps battalion. “Having captured Ugledar, the Russians can easily occupy the entire Donetsk region.”

Capturing Vugledar will allow Russia to advance and threaten Ukrainian supply lines leading to the tough front line in Maryinka in the north, said Gressel of the European Council on Foreign Relations. For Ukraine, Vugledar would become a launching pad for future counterattacks on Mariupol and Berdyansk.

From their position in the city, Ukrainian troops can see Russian lines and have so far been able to repulse Russian attempts to encircle Vugledar. Columns of Russian tanks and armored vehicles carrying infantrymen are constantly storming and trying to break through the defenses of Ukraine. Aviation, rockets and artillery are being conducted in the city.

“But with our fighters and anti-tank weapons, their attempts were not successful,” said Maxim, deputy commander of the Ukrainian army. “The situation is tense, but under control.”

The Russians are losing infantry to landmines

As on other front lines along the east, the Russians are losing many infantrymen in an attempt to wear down and weaken the Ukrainian defensive lines. Sergei, the commander of a Ukrainian intelligence unit, said he saw Russian soldiers being sent straight through Ukrainian-mined fields after Russia seized the village of Pavlovka, south of Vugledar, in November.

“They are demining our fields with the help of their men,” he said.

Ukrainian commanders said that some of their units are suffering from an acute shortage of ammunition.

This opinion was not shared among the brigades, with some being better equipped than others. Taras, the commander of the mortar unit, said that his forces were severely underpowered. Faced with the order to target an enemy position, he said, “I only have two or three rounds to do it. It’s nothing.”

Two brigade commanders inside Vugledar reported that the Russians threw gas shells, which caused severe disorientation for several hours and burned the throat and skin. The high command would not comment on the type of gas used and said the investigation was ongoing.

“They check and check us all over the eastern front line, including in Ugledar,” said Alexander, a commander who was recently fired from the city. “They’re trying to find our weak points.”

At the moment, Russia’s activity around Ugledar is not “operationally significant”, said Ekaterina Stepanenko, a Russian analyst at the American think tank Institute for the Study of War. For breakthroughs that would achieve the declared goal of the Russian invasion – the capture of the entire Donetsk region, greater combat power is required.

Even if Ugledar were to be won, Russia would still need a lot of combat power to advance north. Three months after the capture of the village of Pavlovka in November, Russian troops have not yet broken through to Ugledar, which is only 4 kilometers away – a six-minute drive.

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