Now largely destroyed and evacuated, the city of Vuhledar, located in Ukraine’s southeastern Donetsk region, once had a population of around 14,000. Having been torn apart amidst the ravages of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, Vuhledar was under threat of encirclement before the night of Oct. 1-2, when Ukrainian troops finally withdrew.
Most of the city’s working-age population had been employed at the Yuzhnodonbasska No. 1 and No. 3 coal mines. Like most cities centered around a single large enterprise, Vuhledar’s development struggled following the collapse of the USSR and the decline of the coal industry. However, decentralization helped it to overcome many infrastructure-related problems.
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During the war which began in 2014, Vuhledar remained under Ukrainian control, and by 2022 it had become strategically important. The Donetsk-Volnovakha-Melitopol railway – the only rail connection between Donbas and southern Ukraine – passed near the city. Although the route had suffered severe damage, Ukrainian forces managed to keep the railway under their control for a long period, creating significant logistical issues for the enemy.
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In the throes of Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion, Vuhledar began to fall in late 2022. According to Kyiv Post sources, the Russian strike on Vuhledar over the winter of 2022-2023 aimed to cut off the entire Ukrainian grouping in Donbas. Furthermore, it is understood that the Russian command planned to break through Ukrainian defenses there, rather than in Bakhmut.
By January-February 2023, the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) repelled several major Russian assaults, destroying up to 130 pieces of equipment, including dozens of tanks, in just a few days.
As the city became increasingly uninhabitable, it turned to ruins, and most residents from its 10000 population left the place.
Russian tactics
While the AFU managed to hold on to the city, sources from the 72nd Brigade noted that the Russians began changing tactics.
“Russian equipment was being quickly burned by [our] drones, so they started relying more on infantry as cover,” one soldier from the 72nd Brigade told Kyiv Post.
"They’d drive infantry fighting vehicles at 200-meter intervals. We’d destroy them. Then small groups would break through to the destroyed vehicles and dig in, setting up a dugout and using the burned equipment as cover. They used the 200-meter gap to run from one vehicle to another. We hit some of these dugouts with drones," he added.
Another soldier recalled that the Russian command showed little regard for its soldiers’ lives. The brigade commander recently stated that the ratio of Russian to Ukrainian forces in the Vuhledar area was 9 to 1.
“They’d come in groups of five. We’d kill four, one would stay and dig in. Then five more would come, we’d kill three or four again, and the two survivors would join the first one. They’d dig together. Once they accumulated 5-6 people, this group would advance further. Their losses were enormous, but they had enough resources to sustain it,” said the source.
Inadequate reinforcements
The main issue facing Ukrainian soldiers was the lack of fresh reinforcements.
“There was a defense line. It just passed through the mines, but when there’s no one to hold it, that doesn’t help much,” one of the brigade’s officers said.
As a result, the Russians first captured settlements west and east of Vuhledar—Prechystivka on Sept. 2, then four days later Vodiane, where the mines were located. Vuhledar held out for a month, but by the morning of Oct. 2, Ukrainian forces had withdrawn. The 72nd Brigade left under orders from their command.
According to a soldier from the 72nd Brigade with the call sign “Canada,” an order to withdraw never actually came from Kyiv.
“Vuhledar was doomed. It was impossible to save the city, but people could have been saved. The order to withdraw was never given. Everyone in and around the city knew time was running out, but the order to leave never came,” the soldier wrote on his Facebook page.
As a result, most of the brigade's units managed to leave the city, which was already under threat of encirclement.
“Let’s be honest – there were discussions about leaving Vuhledar or rotating the exhausted 72nd Brigade. Unfortunately, Ukrainian forces lacked reserves, and the forces mobilized this summer hadn’t yet entered the front during the decisive battle. The Russians failed multiple assaults with heavy losses, but they learned their lesson and targeted the flanks,” said military analyst Sergii Kuzan.
Kuzan also cited the increased use of Russian guided aerial bombs as another factor in the fall of Vuhledar.
“Vuhledar is in the middle of the steppe. All logistics are visible. Once the Russians spotted movement, they launched tactical aviation, which dropped bombs and destroyed everything. Their aviation had freedom because we couldn’t hit their airfields,” Kuzan added.
The issue of replenishing Ukrainian units after heavy losses became acute. One soldier from the 72nd Brigade said they lacked infantry across a stretched front. Desertion from part of the 123rd Territorial Defense Brigade, which was sent to reinforce the city, also contributed to the rapid abandonment of Vuhledar.
The desertion had a demoralizing effect on the 72nd Brigade.
“How could they do this?! I get it’s hard – they’re missing equipment – but so are we. They haven’t even been in direct contact with the orcs yet. How will we fight with them?” one soldier of the 72nd Brigade said.
Some deserters held a rally in the rear, claiming the lack of heavy weapons, armored vehicles, and exhaustion of the unit, which had previously spent two years in the Kherson region.
This highlights the problem of insufficient resources.
“This is a resource allocation problem – one of the key military issues. If you have ammunition, you use it. If not, you lose people. If you want to save lives, you have to retreat and lose territory. The command must now preserve personnel and combat capability, so we had to withdraw in this case,” Kuzan explained.
What’s next?
Ukrainian forces have now withdrawn to prepare defense lines. Unfortunately, the loss of Vuhledar will have consequences.
“They can’t come up with their ideas. They copy everything we do, but they have the resources to apply it. This is very unpleasant… Vuhledar has many tall buildings in the steppe on which the Russians installed antennas, giving them an advantage in electronic warfare,” one soldier of the 72nd Brigade said.
The only solution, according to Kuzan, is to hold Russian forces until their offensive potential is exhausted, while Ukraine waits for reserves mobilized this summer to reach the front.
“The enemy is sparing no effort to capture as much as possible before the rain and cold. After that, they’ll be exhausted, and perhaps the Ukrainian forces will make their move. On the other hand, we should expect another Russian mobilization,” Kuzan concluded.
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