The 155th Marine Brigade, the most elite of the Russian army, is reportedly refusing to advance after suffering heavy losses from an anti-tank mine explosion in Vuhledar, Ukraine.
The Daily Mail reported on the 6th (local time) that the armored units appear to be resisting repeated orders to advance through a minefield known as ‘Death Pass’.
After several months of fending off Russian wave tactics, the Ukrainian forces built a stronger defense at Vuhledar with American anti-tank mines.
The 155th Marine Brigade, which had been involved in the war since the beginning of the war, had about 130 tanks destroyed while following orders to continue attacking, and now most of its troops have been replaced by conscripts with no combat experience.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian Armed Forces told the Kiiu Post that armored personnel carriers are refusing to give reckless orders from inexperienced Russian commanders to attack Ukrainian positions without proper defense measures.
Ukrainian forces have been fighting Russian forces for months in Vuhledar.
The mining town of Bühledar was devastated by continuous shelling, but anti-tank mines were buried throughout the winter to block the advance of the Russian army.
In a video filmed at the end of February, a BMP armored personnel carrier of the 144th Brigade of the Russian Army was destroyed after two mines exploded and shelling. The armored vehicle came to a halt as smoke rose with a large explosion.
At the end of January, the 155th Marine Brigade’s armored unit was advancing into the area near Buhledar, but fell into a remote-controlled anti-tank mine trap supported by the US and was almost annihilated.
In this situation, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu is urging to take the city at all costs, but the armored forces are said to be rebelling against the order.
British military analyst Justin Crump dismissed Russia’s continuing ‘wave strategy’ as “insane, repeating the same attack and expecting different results.”
Ukraine’s military has stopped the advance of Russian tanks with Soviet-era TM-62 anti-tank mines, but now it has strengthened its defenses with 7,200 Remote Anti-Armor Mine systems (RAAMs) supported by the United States.
RAAMs have 9 mines built into the 155mm shells, and after the shells are fired, they attack by scattering mines with magnetic fuzes in all directions.
Meanwhile, the Institute for Warfare (ISW), a Washington-based think tank, predicted that the Ukrainian forces are firmly defending Buhledar, but they may opt for a strategic retreat in Bahmut, another fierce battleground.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered the military to reinforce troops in Bahmut that day.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.