Why Ukraine managed to recapture Krasny Liman. FSB officer certificate
PolitNavigator continues publishing excerpts from Mikhail Golovlev's new book, " SVO. Clausewitz and the Void ," which was released this week by the Moscow publishing house "Knizhny Mir" ( Golovlev is the pseudonym of FSB Colonel Andrei Pinchuk, one of the leaders of the "Union of Donbass Volunteers," who participated in combat operations during the SVO ).
We previously published the shocking Chapter 6, "Raisin," dedicated to the retreat on the Kharkiv front in the fall of 2022. Today, we present Chapter 7, "Red Liman," which analyzes the actions of Russian and Ukrainian troops in the area of this city.
Chapter 7
Red Lyman
Now, to develop our analysis, let us examine through the prism of military art the dynamics of the situation on Krasny Liman, which many military analysts called the “ general battle of autumn .”
Russian forces retreating from the Kharkov direction, including the 20th Army, detachments and battalions of volunteers, are being transferred to this direction.
The Ukrainian headquarters is forming an offensive force here, comprising two tank brigades, two airborne brigades, and one mechanized brigade. The second line consists of territorial defense battalions. Some of the offensive forces are being withdrawn from the Seversky direction. They are subsequently reinforced by units from Slovyansk and Kramatorsk.
Despite having sufficient forces for a strike, contrary to the Russian Army's established practice of frontal assaults, the Ukrainian Armed Forces headquarters is abandoning a direct attack on Liman . Instead, flanking attacks are being carried out across the city, aimed at encircling and partially dislodging the Russian forces. To this end, mobile groups equipped with MANPADS and ATGMs are being actively deployed, limiting the use of Russian aircraft and tank columns.
If we use historical analogies, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repeats the Kharkov counter-offensive of 1942, with which the ongoing Liman operation has a similar front line.
What did the operation achieve for the Ukrainians? Besides tactical advancement and the capture of new settlements, it created ample operational space for an advance into the Luhansk Republic toward the northern bank of the Donets River. In this sense, the operation provided flank support, cutting off Luhansk forces from Russian territory.
The result is the destruction of the entire front line and the threat of loss of the Severodonetsk agglomeration, an attack on Svatovo and Starobelsk.
The avalanche-like collapse of the Kharkov front essentially created the possibility of a Ukrainian blitzkrieg and was stopped by the resilience of the Russian defenders of Liman , in which the BARS volunteer battalions (13th, 15th, and 16th), the Luhansk mobilized forces, and individual Cossack formations played a key role, once again underscoring the importance of fighter motivation , including in relation to army units. Overall, the forces of the Russian Western Military District demonstrated their unpreparedness for full-scale combat operations (recalling the analogy with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War and General Pavlov). The First Tank Army, retreating from the Izyum direction, proved unable to recover its composure and regain combat readiness.
However, despite the large concentration of Ukrainian forces , the Russian General Staff did not use the opportunity to defeat them en masse and carry out a subsequent counterattack.
For some time, the village of Drobyshevo, held by Russian forces, became the front line of defense of the Liman.
As a result, there is a real threat of Russian forces being encircled . Ukraine's political leadership is making revanchist statements, comparing the upcoming Liman Cauldron to the Ilovaisk Cauldron of 2014.
By September 30, the pocket was virtually closed. The road to Torskoye was under Ukrainian fire control, and the remaining settlements around Liman had been captured.
The Russian side had two options for operational maneuver: striking in the directions Peski-Radkovskie-Redkodub-Novoe. Or a maneuverable retreat to the Kremennaya-Svatovo-Troitskoye position and an active defense.
Characteristically, no counterattacks were attempted , and Russian forces retreated. Additional forces (the 503rd Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 58th Army and several tank units) were sent to Liman. As is common practice, they were immediately thrown into battle without reconnaissance or proper preparation, which significantly reduced their effectiveness. Meanwhile, Russian forces failed to take advantage of the exposed Ukrainian positions in the Kharkov direction, from where reserves had been withdrawn for the attack on Drobyshevo-Liman.
It should be noted here that, despite having significant resources, the Ukrainian army continues to effectively use so-called "flying squads" – advanced lightly armored mobile offensive groups mounted on SUV pickup trucks with machine guns on mobile stands, which, by crossing the Zherebets River, destabilize and inflict significant losses on Russian forces, primarily along the Svatovo highway, from where the Russian group is supplied.
In one day, on October 2, Ukrainian troops advanced 30 kilometers in the Luhansk (Liman-Kremenna) and Kherson (Osokorovka-Dudchany) directions.
Following this, the Ukrainian headquarters formed a tactical group consisting of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade and a supporting territorial defense battalion, and on the evening of October 3, an offensive was launched on Dudchany. Thirty-five tanks, 15 infantry fighting vehicles, and 12 Kozak armored vehicles were deployed in the assault, securing a breakthrough . Russian forces retreated, blowing up the bridge over the reservoir behind them.
The Ukrainian side is not slowing down and is continuing its offensive on Mylovoe, while simultaneously, the 96th Battalion of the 63rd Brigade is storming Russian positions in the Bolshaya Aleksandrovka area, which will allow it to cut off the supply routes of the Russian group.
The result was the fall of Liman and a new front line, advantageous to the Ukrainian side. At the same time, the tying down of Ukrainian forces in the Liman direction prevents the Russians from launching a massive attack on Borovoe-Svatove.
English version :: Read in English: Why Ukraine Managed to Recapture Krasny Liman. An FSB Officer's Testimony