Ukrainian Special Ops Liberate Vovchansk Plant in Kharkiv Sector

Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) reported that its special forces liberated and cleared the Vovchansk Aggregate Plant in Kharkiv region of Russian troops.

“On Tuesday, Sept 24, at 14:40, the commander of HUR special unit, Timur, reported to the head of HUR, Kyrylo Budanov, about the successful completion of the operation,” the intelligence press service said.

Additionally, HUR released videos and photos showing intense battles for the plant, as well as the planning and execution of HUR’s special operation. The footage also shows HUR head Kyrylo Budanov, who has repeatedly been personally present at the site of operations alongside his soldiers.

“Through the hellish dust from the explosion of aerial bombs, a confident morning ray of sunlight breaks through, moves along a wall scarred by shrapnel, and penetrates further into the space, illuminating the path for a HUR fighter,” reads one of the photo captions.

HUR spokesperson, Andriy Yusov, told Kyiv Post that this operation improved the situation for Ukrainian forces in Vovchansk itself and eliminated the threat of a Russian breakthrough deeper into the Kharkiv region. It also drew enemy reserves away from other sectors and inflicted significant losses on the Russians in both equipment and manpower.

“It even came down to hand-to-hand combat and knife fighting,” Yusov said.

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The operation was conducted by various special operations groups, including the RDK (Russian Volunteer Corps), who were constantly engaged in close-quarters combat with the enemy amid densely built-up areas, HUR said.

A significant amount of artillery, kamikaze drones, KAB bombs, and heavy flamethrower systems like Solntsepyok were repeatedly used against Ukrainian intelligence forces.

“The Russians turned the aggregate plant into their propaganda ‘fortress,’ employing some of their most motivated and professional units for its defense, including fighters from the 45th Special Forces Brigade of the Airborne Forces (Kubinka, Moscow),” the report stated.

“The aggregate plant in Vovchansk is essentially a large fortified area, a massive fortress that is visible from the sky from all sides, very difficult to approach, and even harder to penetrate,” explained the Chief of Staff of the RDK, Alexander “Fortuna,” on national television.

He added that this was the first operation during the full-scale war in which a joint special unit stormed such a fortified position, as such tasks are generally more suited for regular infantry brigades with artillery support.

“As of now, the aggregate plant was the most complex, well-defended, and difficult stronghold to assault, while being the easiest to defend for the enemy. There are about three or four similar fortified positions left in the city, but they are of a lower defense class,” Alexander “Fortuna” said.

Despite the fierce enemy resistance, HUR fighters succeeded in eliminating the enemy, capturing prisoners, and replenishing the exchange fund, the intelligence service added.

This is, in fact, the first case of liberating Ukrainian territory in almost six months. The plant’s territory was handed over to the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces after all 30 buildings on the site were cleared, HUR said.