Battle of Krasnohorivka

Battle of Krasnohorivka
Part of the eastern Ukraine campaign of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Railway station in Krasnohorivka before the war
Date 8 April 2024 – present (3 weeks and 2 days) Location Krasnohorivka, Pokrovsk Raion, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine Status Ongoing
Belligerents
Russia	Ukraine
Units involved
238th Artillery Brigade 5th Motorized Rifle Brigade	3rd Assault Brigade

As part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a battle has been taking place between the Russian Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of Ukraine for control over the city of Krasnohorivka since 8 April 2024.

Background

Main article: Eastern Ukraine campaign

The city of Krasnohorivka lies around 5 km to the west of Donetsk, the capital of the Russian-backed Donetsk People's Republic since 2014. Together with Avdiivka and Marinka the city is one of the three major strongholds of the Ukrainian army in the western part of Donetsk.

After the Russian capture of Marinka at the end of 2023 and the fall of Avdiivka in February 2024, Krasnohorivka is the last remaining stronghold of Ukraine in this sector of the frontline. The relative sparing of the city in the first two years of the war changed after the fall of Marinka and Avdiivka. Russian forces advanced marginally north of Marinka around 17 February. Four days later, a Russian source said that Russian troops captured some forest belts west of the Krasnohorivka Coal Mine (V. I. Karpov's Kurakhiv mine), which had been captured on 18 July 2023, moving closer to the city's southern outskirts.

A Russian source stated on 26 February 2024 that Russian forces entered Krasnohorivka through a southern residential neighborhood and reached the Shkilna/Paryz'koyi Komuny Street. Geolocated footage confirmed after two days that elements of the Russian 5th Motorized Rifle Brigade had reached the southern outskirts of the city. Armored vehicles were used to cover the assault and land troops. The DNR People's Militia further said that Russian forces moved deeper towards the city center.

In the end, Russian troops did not manage to consolidate positions in the city during this attack. It was reported that Ukraine's 3rd Assault Brigade knocked Russian forces out of the southeastern part of Krasnohorivka by the end of the month.

Battle

By 8 April 2024, a Russian mechanized assault managed to re-enter the southeastern part of the city and advance along Vatutin Street. The next day, the Ukrainians mounted a counterattack that was able to recover some lost positions. Between 10–13 April, Russian forces managed to regain some lost positions in the initial Ukrainian counterattack and reportedly continued armored advances towards the Krasnohorivka refractory plant (brick factory).

Between 15–16 April 2024, Russian forces captured the railway station, several private buildings around Zaliznychna Street and the abandoned auto-repair plant in the south of the city. The DNR People's Militia further stated that six attack helicopters aided the Russian assaults. By 17 April, Russian forces had broken through up to Istorychna and Akhtyrskoho Streets just south of the refractory plant.

By 25 April 2024, Russian sources reported that almost all of southern Krasnohorivka had been captured as geolocated footage from the same day showed a Russian soldier hoisting the Russian flag inside one of the southmost buildings of the brick factory. Two days later, geolocated footage confirmed a Russian advance towards the traffic circle also in central Krasnohorivka.

Analysis

Strategic value

As a satellite city, Krasnohorivka functions as a gateway to the regional capital of Donetsk. Many residents of the city's pre-war population of 16,000 used to work in local material factories in the capital. In case of a Russian capture, they will have successfully pushed Ukrainian forces away from the western flank of Donetsk city. At the same, it would open new possibilities for the Russian forces to advance westwards in the direction of Kurakhove.

Tactics

The battle witnessed the introduction of a modified tank. Russian engineers built a metal structure type armor around a T-72 tank. It was soon labeled as a 'turtle tank', referring to the shield of a turtle shell. The main purpose of this armor is to fend off FPV drone attacks, one of the greatest threats to inflict damage on armored vehicles during this war.