https://kyivindependent.com/with-all-ey ... r-another/
June 4, 2024 3:43 PM
DONETSK OBLAST—As public attention shifted to Moscow's renewed offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, Russian forces steadily advance in the country's easternmost Donbas region, which remains Moscow's primary target.
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According to Lieutenant Volodymyr, who is part of an anti-aircraft missile regiment deployed in the area, there was a critical shortage of missiles for the Soviet-era Buk family of medium-range air defense systems.
Russian MiG aircraft carrying KAB aerial bombs could fly as close as 25 to 30 kilometers to Chasiv Yar, Volodymyr said.
The 27-year-old lieutenant believes that Ivanivske would not have been lost if Ukraine had enough air defense capability to protect infantry.
However, the situation eased when air defense missiles and ammunition began arriving in May, shortly after the U.S. officially committed $60 billion in aid for Ukraine.
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The soldiers are worried that there is a realistic possibility that Russian forces could overrun the nearby villages and capture Chasiv Yar, using the heights to advance deeper into Donetsk Oblast.
According to two mortarmen with the 710th Security Brigade of the State Special Transport Service's Assault Company deployed near Ivanivske in February, their unit's infantry suffered an extremely brutal shift.
Of the roughly 70 infantrymen – mostly young and inexperienced – deployed to a trench just outside the village, about 80 percent were either killed or severely wounded within four days, according to one of the two mortarmen, named Dmytro. A wave of first-person view (FPV) drones inflicted heavy damage as soon as the company reached the trench, making it impossible to hold on to the position.
According to Dmytro, the Russians soon captured the position and entered Ivanivske with no direct combat. Ukrainian mortar and artillery positions would come under heavy fire and were deprived of the much-needed fire support.
FPV drones have been a game changer in combination with ground assaults, allowing the Russians to advance sometimes without relying on infantry – similar to Moscow's triumph over the 710th's position outside Ivanivske.
"If an FPV tries to fly to you once, twice, or three times and it falls, (Russian troops) begin working with something more serious (such as mortars or artillery)," Dmytro added.
"And it's whether you will be lucky or not, if it will kill you or not."
Ukraine and Russia's increased reliance on FPVs is transforming warfare, with both sides ramping up their domestic production of cheap but effective single-use drones operated via a headset.
FPV drones account for about 90% of the injuries over the past half a year, according to medic Oleksii, with the 130th Territorial Defense Brigade deployed near Chasiv Yar. Oleksii said that FPV drones can be deadlier than artillery because they are more precise and can directly strike the target.
There is "a lot more activity assembling drones" on the Russian side, but who holds the advantage also ultimately comes down to the number of pilots and their skills, said Samuel Bendett, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security think tank.
For the Ukrainian soldiers on the ground slowly losing positions, it is becoming increasingly uncertain that they could hold off the Russian offensive capability in the upcoming months.
"We are losing every day little by little – somewhere we regained a little, somewhere they took, but we lost much more than we gained," Dmytro said.
The battles for Chasiv Yar will be defined by Ukraine's ability to tackle manpower shortage and whether Russia decides to concentrate its resources in the upcoming months, according to the U.S.-based expert Lee.
Whether Ukraine can counter Russia's growing advantage of assembling and using FPV drones will also be a key factor.
US allowed Ukraine to down planes in Russian airspace since start of full-scale war, White House says.