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Battle of Siversk

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Battle of Siversk
Part of the battle of Donbas in the eastern Ukraine offensive of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Residential building in Siversk and remains of a cluster rocket in August 2022
Date3 July 2022 – current
(2 months and 5 days)
Location
Result

Ongoing

First main assault ends in a Ukrainian victory small-scale assaults continue around Siversk
Belligerents
 Ukraine
Commanders and leaders
unknown unknown
Units involved
Ukraine 115th Mechanized Brigade[2]
Strength
unknown unknown
Casualties and losses
unknown unknown

The battle of Siversk was a military engagement during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, as part of the battle of Donbas of the wider eastern Ukraine offensive, that began on 3 July 2022. Russian forces ceased launching assaults on and around Siversk on 28 July, with a lull in fighting throughout August. Due to gains made from the Kharkiv counteroffensive, Russian forces were unable to make further gains towards Siversk from September 8.

Background

Siversk Professional Lyceum, destroyed by shelling on 5 May 2022
Attack on Bakhmut, in the Russian advance towards Siversk on 16 July 2022

On 25 June, Russian forces captured Sievierodonetsk and the surrounding villages.[3][4] Russian forces captured the twin city of Lysychansk on 2 July, fully capturing Luhansk Oblast.[5]

Battle

On 8 July, the British Ministry of Defense noted a concentration of Russian equipment on the front lines near Siversk, which it suggested could be the target of future offensive operations.[6] A separatist official claimed that Russian forces captured the village of Hryhorivka on 9 July.[7] On 12 July, Russian forces reached to just within a few kilometers of Siversk, although the Ukrainian General Staff claimed that a Russian assault on Spirne and Ivano-Darivka suffered serious losses.[8]

An LPR official told TASS on 13 July that Russian and separatist forces had entered Siversk, saying the town could fall "in a couple of days".[9] However, the next day, the Ukrainian military published footage confirming they retained control over the town.[10] Luhansk Oblast governor Serhiy Haidai said that Russian forces were trying to "break into" Siversk through small settlements in order to eventually advance on Bakhmut.[11]

On 15 July, Russian forces launched a failed attack on Verkhnokamyanske and Spirne.[10] Two days later, clashes occurred around Ivano-Darivka, Bilohorivka, and Berestove.[12] On 23 July, the Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces failed to advance in the directions of Verkhnokamyanske and Siversk. According to the ISW, the language of the Ukrainian report suggested that Russian forces may have advanced closer to the outskirts of Siversk itself.[13]

On 28 July, ISW suggested that the Russian force grouping in Donetsk Oblast may have deprioritized attempts to take Siversk in order to capitalize on recent gains near Bakhmut, noting that the Russians had made no confirmed advances towards Siversk since taking control of the Luhansk Oblast in early July.[14]

Casualties

Graves made by locals near a Siversk hospital, because the cemetery was too close to the front line[15]

Four foreign volunteers—two Americans, one Canadian, and one Swede—fighting for Ukraine were killed by tank fire on 22 July during an attempt to clear Russian forces out of a ravine in Hryhorivka, according to territorial defense forces commander Ruslan Miroshnichenko.[16][17]

Analysis

On 20 July, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) stated that the Russian grouping in the Siversk area was likely still severely degraded by recent operations to complete the capture of the Luhansk Oblast and was therefore only making slow and grinding progress towards Siversk, and that they were continuing to degrade their own offensive combat power in localized fights for small and relatively unimportant settlements. It was also stated that Russian troops were struggling to move across relatively sparsely-settled and open terrain, and would encounter terrain much more conducive to the Ukrainian defenders the closer they would get to the E40 around Sloviansk and Bakhmut due to the increasing population density and built-up nature of those areas. The ISW concluded that the current Russian offensive in Donbas would likely to culminate somewhere along the E40 in the following weeks.[18]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 6". Institute for the Study of War. 6 August 2022. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Bloody battle for control rages in eastern Ukraine as Russia struggles to gain ground in Donetsk". CNN. Archived from the original on 2023-05-22. Retrieved 2023-07-09.
  3. ^ "Российские военные заявили о полном контроле над Северодонецком". Radio Free Europe (in Russian). 26 June 2022. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022. The summary of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the evening of that night says that Russian forces are fixed in the areas of the Sievierodonetsk, Syrotyne, Voronove and Borivske following the Ukrainian forces leaving the area
  4. ^ "Mayor Says Ukrainian Troops Have 'Almost Left' Sievierodonetsk". Archived from the original on 2022-07-03. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  5. ^ "Russia claims control of pivotal eastern Ukrainian province". Daily Independent. 3 July 2022. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  6. ^ "Ukrainian Troops Dig In at New Front Line in Bid to Stop Russian Advance". VOA. Archived from the original on 2022-07-12. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  7. ^ Gershkovich, Alan Cullison and Evan. "Ukraine Braces for Russian Assault on City It Retook After 2014 Revolt". WSJ. Archived from the original on 2022-07-16. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  8. ^ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 12". Institute for the Study of War. 12 July 2022. Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  9. ^ "Separatist official says Russian and proxy forces enter Ukraine's Siversk -TASS". Reuters. 2022-07-13. Archived from the original on 2022-07-16. Retrieved 2022-07-13.
  10. ^ a b "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 15". Institute for the Study of War. 15 July 2022. Archived from the original on 17 July 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  11. ^ Beecher, Jay (2022-07-14). "Russian Invaders Attempt to Break Through to Siversk to Open Way to Bakhmut - Kyiv Post - Ukraine's Global Voice". Kyiv Post. Archived from the original on 2022-07-14. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
  12. ^ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 17". Institute for the Study of War. 17 July 2022. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  13. ^ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 23". Institute for the Study of War. 23 July 2022. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  14. ^ Hird, Karolina; Mappes, Grace; Phillippson, Layne; Lawlor, Katherine; Barros, George; Kagan, Frederick W. "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 28". Institute for the Study of War. Archived from the original on 2022-10-22. Retrieved 2022-07-29.
  15. ^ Yan Boechat (2023-04-12). "In Pictures: Siversk, Ukraine Battleground Town". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 2023-06-11.
  16. ^ Miller, Christopher. "Russian tank attack in eastern Ukraine kills 2 Americans, Canadian and Swede". Politico. Archived from the original on 2023-07-13. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
  17. ^ "Two Americans Killed in the Donbass". Atlas News. 2022-07-23. Archived from the original on 2022-07-24. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
  18. ^ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 20". Institute for the Study of War. 20 July 2022. Archived from the original on 24 September 2022. Retrieved 21 July 2022.