The chief of staff of First Corps Azov offers exclusive details about the ongoing battle for Dobropillia in eastern Ukraine.
www.twz.com
Commentary on the Dobropillia campaign
This statement really stood out for me.
"several Ukrainian forces combined together to stabilize this front. There were more than 100 commanders from our side."
I can't imagine any Canadian commander saying that 100 commanders were involved in any operation. It is suggestive of a fragmented force focusing on company and battalion level action.
....
Q: After a year of largely static front lines, how was Russia able to break through toward Dobropillia?
A: In August of this year, it was one of the hottest points of the whole front line. The enemy broke our first defense line and entered the tactical positions of our army. The enemy used the forces of the 51st Army of the Russian Federation. Navy infantry and the 8th Russian Army joined the 51st Russian Army to help them with that assault mission. There were more or less 100,000 personnel from the Russian Army.
Q: The loss of Dobropillia would have had cascading effects across the frontlines. How did you defend against it?
A: First of all, our reconnaissance worked really well. Because of our reconnaissance, we received the enemy’s plans for the assault. Also, several Ukrainian forces combined together to stabilize this front. There were more than 100 commanders from our side. At the beginning of August, we built a joint command point. All the units that took part in this operation to stop the enemy assault joined that command point.
Q: So this was a command and control location where orders would be given out to various units working together as a joint force?
A: Yes.
Q: How many units were taking part?
A: More than 10 different units. There were different commanders of different military levels who came to the command point.
Q: Who was in charge?
A: We implemented the corps system, and the corps are responsible for a specific zone. But to support us, the commander of assault forces joined our command point. Unmanned Aerial Forces also joined. The Commander in Chief, Mr. Syrskyi, is officially the number one guy who is above all. This command center was built on an Azov base. However, different commanders brought their own unique knowledge. You cannot say that this one brought us the main success. It’s a common success.
Q: You said reconnaissance played a big role in defending against the Russian incursion toward Dobropillia. Can you elaborate on what kind? Was it humans? Drones? Some other method?
A: I cannot answer directly. It was a complex of different methods.