The Khortytsia operational-strategic group of troops officially announced the withdrawal of Armed Forces of Ukrainian (AFU) from Vuhledar, in the Donetsk region, following reports of the town’s capture by Russian forces.
“Despite suffering heavy losses from prolonged fighting, the enemy did not stop its efforts to capture Vuhledar,” the Khortytsia group’s statement said.
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According to the statement, Russian forces managed to bring in reinforcements to carry out flanking maneuvers, which exhausted the AFU’s defenses. This created a risk of Ukrainian troops being encircled.
“The higher command authorized the maneuver to withdraw our units from Vuhledar to preserve personnel and military equipment, allowing them to take up positions for further action,” the report added.
Russian forces likely captured Vuhledar as of Oct. 1
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that Russian forces likely captured Vuhledar as of Oct. 1, after Ukrainian troops reportedly withdrew to avoid encirclement.
Geolocated videos from Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 show Russian soldiers raising flags and moving freely through various parts of the town. Russian military bloggers also claimed on Oct. 1 that the settlement had been seized.
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Russian bloggers had already reported by Sept. 30 that Ukrainian troops had started pulling back from the area.
While Russian forces did not fully block Ukrainian exit routes, reports indicate that retreating Ukrainian troops came under fire from Russian artillery and drones, leading to some losses, according to the ISW.
Despite the apparent victory, ISW’s report said that some Russian commentators are doubtful that the capture of Vuhledar will lead to immediate breakthroughs. They pointed out that Ukrainian forces still hold strong defensive positions northeast of the town, and Russian troops will need to fully secure Vuhledar before using it as a base for future assaults.
Aidar Battalion fighter about the retreat: “Leaving the wounded to be shot by the enemy”
According to the ISW, the extent of Ukrainian casualties remains unclear, but it appears that the bulk of the Ukrainian forces avoided a potential encirclement, which could have led to heavier losses.
Stanislav Bunyatov, a junior sergeant in the 24th Aidar Assault Battalion, wrote on Oct. 1 that some Ukrainian fighters had executed a planned withdrawal from Vuhledar, now under Russian control, “to prevent encirclement.”
“The situation remains tense, not without losses,” Bunyatov said.
In Wednesday’s Telegram post, he shared: “Vuhledar... the town we all fought for, the town where guys from different units laid down their lives, the town where I first met war with a weapon in hand. I confidently said that you’d have to be a jacka** to let our guys get encircled, but someone managed it.”
He added that Ukrainian forces stayed in the town until they had to withdraw under strike drones in small groups, “leaving the wounded to be shot by the enemy.”
“He disappeared without a trace,” Bunyatov wrote about a fellow soldier from the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade.
His account is corroborated by the MILITARY Telegram channel, which reported this morning that there are “very big problems with the evacuation of the wounded in Vuhledar.”
The fall of Vuhledar follows multiple failed Russian attempts over the last two and a half years. Russia launched major offensives in October-November 2022 and January-February 2023, both of which resulted in heavy personnel and equipment losses, particularly affecting the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade of the Pacific Fleet.
The ISW has previously assessed that the capture of Vuhledar is unlikely to significantly alter the course of Russian operations in western Donetsk. Vuhledar is not a key logistics hub, and Russian forces had already controlled most of the main roads into the town before Oct. 1. This allowed them to disrupt Ukrainian logistics in the area even before the capture.
Additionally, Vuhledar is situated about 30 kilometers south of Russia’s main focus in the Pokrovsk sector, meaning Russian troops would still need to cross open terrain to meaningfully support operations there.
According to analysts from the DeepState project, Russian forces entered Vuhledar on Tuesday from the western and southern parts of the town. DeepState reported that Russian troops raised their flags in the western part of the town, and Russian infantry have been spotted among high-rise buildings in Vuhledar.
Bunyatov reported on Sept. 30 that the situation in Vuhledar was dire, quoting a soldier from the Ukrainian 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, who described the circumstances as critical, adding that attacks were coming from three directions: Vodyane, Prechistivka, and Pavlivka. The soldier reported heavy fighting in the southern and western parts of the city as Russian forces pushed forward.
The soldier explained that the route used for infantry withdrawal is heavily targeted by Russian mortars and artillery, with numerous Russian drones – both FPV and reconnaissance – controlling the area.
He mentioned that the command had been promising rotation for a week but had delayed it due to changing conditions, urging the troops to hold on. According to him, there was no evacuation, as infantry fighting vehicles (BMPs) could not reach Vuhledar in time, and Russian forces opened fire on any BMPs attempting to approach.
Many seriously wounded soldiers were unable to evacuate on foot because of the drone threat, and the soldier lamented that many Ukrainian dead were left lying on the roads. He warned that supplies of food, ammunition, and fuel were running low.
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