Rebels warn takeover of Gladosovo could spark counterattack

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By Chris Covert

Two attacks took place in northern Donetsk and Lugansk, one of them after the Ukrainian takeover of the villages of Gladosovo and Travnevoe on the night of November 21st to 22nd, which was a major gunfight and the largest in recent memory.

Going by rebel accounts in the Russian sponsored Russkaya Vesna and from other Ukrainian news reports, rebel commanders decided to act on new information about a new offensive Ukraine had planned by sending a tactical team deep into Lugansk to intercept a Ukrainian force which was heading to Gladosovo and other areas considered to be a gray area which neither side were occupying at the time.

The encounter, by every measure, was an ambush of a company size element, which cost the Ukrainians five dead and more than 10 wounded.

Information carelessly leaked on the Ukrainian ministry of defense website showed that the Ukrainian general staff intended to send a composite rifle company into the area, consisting of elements of the Ukrainian 54th Motorized Rifle Brigade, units from the Ukrainian volunteer unit, the 24th "Aydar" Battalion and an artillery unit from the Georgian 128th Separate Mountain Infantry Brigade.

According to a Live Journal post, Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin noted that the 128th Brigade had participated in the battles south of Gorlovka at Yasinovataya in March, 2016.  That attack was the one that cut off the only hard surface road between Donetsk city and Gorlovka.  Gorlovka at the time was suffering daily nocturnal artillery attacks from the Ukrainians.

The 2nd engagement, which Ukrainian national officials claim was an unauthorized military mission, took place in Lugansk, along a contested road commonly known as the Bahkmuta, a colloquial name for highway P66.

Russian writer Anton Orlovsky detailed the fight at Frunze:

The advanced party, moving under the cover of night and snowy weather on the night of November 23rd, ran into a minefield, which killed three and wounded five others. The Ukrainian site commander called for mortar and heavy machine gun fire to cover their retreat.

The only prisoner, wounded and left behind, was captured by the rebels. Jr. Sergeant Roman Furstev  told the rebels that commander of 3rd Company, Ukrainian 58th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, identified as Senior Lieutenant Danilko had been convinced that the rebel position at Frunze was occupied by only two pickets, and no heavy weapons, and that taking the position would be "easy."

Yuri Biryukov, adviser to Ukrainian president Piotr Poroshenko, was quoted, saying that Sr. Lt. Danilko had read about the prior day's operation north of Gorlovka, and wanted to seize some glory for himself.

The report, which appeared in Russkaya Vesna indicated that the size of the attacking force was seven to 10 effectives.  The report also indicated that the brigade's 3rd Company was staffed mainly with former members of the notorious Ukrainian volunteer unit, the "Donbass" Battalion.

Sgt. Furstev told the rebels that he was in change of a detachment of heavy and medium machine guns with orders that once the position was captured, his detachment would cover the Ukrainian further advance into rebel territory with machine gun fire.

According to a story which appeared in the Ukrainian versti-Ukr.com, one of the leaders of the probe died in the minefield.  It is unclear in reports if the dead was Sr. Lt. Danilko

Russian military correspondent for Komsomol Pravda, Aleksandr Kots wrote that rebel commanders consider the new situation similar to Debaltsevo two years ago.  Ukrainian artillery had increased the intensity of its fire against rebel positions in Golrovka.  Rebel commanders consider the position the Ukrainians had made for themselves similar to Debaltsevo because then, as now, the only solution for the rebels to reduce the amount of artillery fire on their positions was to attack and eliminate the Ukrainian positions.

Kots' report served as a warning about the actions rebels had taken in the past.  The villages Gladosovo and Travnevoe, said rebel military officials, are part of the cauldron similar to the cauldron the rebels reduced in Debaltsevo.  Kots also said that the position the Ukrainians placed themselves in was similar to Shirokino, the southern Donetsk village fought over until the villages itself became tactically worthless by virtue of its sheer destruction.

The rebels abandoned Shirokino in late 2015.

Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues for Rantburg.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com and on Twitter. You can read past articles about the 2014 war in southeastern Ukraine by clicking here  and here.