Ukrainian Armed Forces drive Russians out of Kotlyne near Pokrovsk
Ukrainian military in the Pokrovsk sector took control of the village of Kotlyne, as reported by the 25th Separate Airborne Sicheslav Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The brigade explained that the capture of Kotlyne would allow the aggressor to access the Pokrovsk-Dnipro highway, which is why the Russians threw significant forces into its capture at the time. This could significantly worsen the logistical support of the entire Pokrovsk sector.
As Serhiy Hera, the commander of one of the brigade's battalions, said, his fighters began carrying out tasks in this sector on January 29. The operation was planned in four stages: to stabilize the situation, inflict maximum damage on the Russian troops, cut off all approaches to the village, and occupy it.
One assault group came on foot, while the other came in with equipment.
"One of the groups that was coming in tripped a mine. Thank God, no losses, well, light concussions, light shrapnel. However, these guys refused to evacuate, they unloaded. They came in: contact, contact, contact, prisoner, contact, prisoner. They (the Russians — ed.) don't give a damn about their personnel," said soldier Vitaliy Sid.
In the end, the Sicheslav paratroopers and related units knocked the Russians out of Kotlyne. After the Ukrainian fighters took up positions, they did not allow the enemy to approach — they destroyed everything on the approaches, Sid said.
During the assault, the Russians lost equipment as well as personnel: 275 soldiers killed and 203 wounded.
More about the situation in the Pokrovsk sector
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, over the past 24 hours, in the Pokrovsk sector, the Ukrainian military stopped 25 assault operations in the areas of the settlements of Promin, Tarasivka, Kotlyne, Pishchane, Nadiyivka, Preobrazhenka, and Andriyivka.
On February 16, the Ukrainian military knocked out the Russians from the village of Pishchane, approximately 5 km from Pokrovsk, and also pushed back the enemy troops in several other settlements.