Ukraine Plays Deadly Whack-A-Bridge At Lyman—But Russian Engineers Are Winning
One river is helping to protect a key Ukrainian town
The battle for Lyman isn’t the biggest or bloodiest in Ukraine as Russia’s wider war on the country grinds through its 43rd month. But it’s still important—and it’s indicative of a bigger problem for outnumbered Ukrainian troops.
The Ukrainian forces in the vicinity of Lyman, a town with a pre-war population of 20,000 that lies just a few miles west of the porous line of contact in northern Donetsk Oblast.
Lyman anchors Ukrainian defenses north of the twin cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the main urban conglomeration in western Donetsk—and the main target of Russia’s current offensive in the east.
A grouping of around five Russian regiments isn’t making a lot of progress in its repeated efforts to capture Lyman. But that could change.
The town’s defenders, including the 60th and 63rd Mechanized Brigades and adjacent units, have a lot help from the terrain. Specifically, the Zherebets River and connected waterways.
But if the Russians can get across the water obstacles, they could have a clear shot at Lyman—and with heavier forces than the usual foot-borne infantry and motorcycle troops. They could attack with some of the thousands of tanks and other armored fighting vehicles (AFVs) that the Kremlin has been saving up for future offensives in the Ukraine war or other conflicts.
“The only thing that does not allow Russians to attack with AFVs at Lyman direction—river,” reported Kriegsforscher, a Ukrainian marine corps drone operator who has been supporting the defense of Lyman.
To get heavy forces across the waterways, Russian engineers build lightweight pontoon bridges. To prevent the AFVs from crossing, the Ukrainians locate the pontoons with drones—and blow them up with heavier munitions. “We destroy them with the help of aviation and guided bombs,” Kriegsforscher explained.
Read the rest at Euromaidan Press.
