Fighters from the Ukrainian 31st Mechanized Brigade reportedly broke out of an encirclement near Prohres during the night, according to unconfirmed information from the war-tracking blog DeepState. Despite the brigade commander not giving the order, personnel from the 1st and 3rd battalions decided to break through with a fight. Coordinated actions involving artillery, aerial reconnaissance, and allied forces facilitated their successful escape, as reported by DeepState.
⚡️At night, the fighters of the 31st Mechanized Brigade managed to break out of the encirclement near Prohres, – DeepState.
The brigade commander did not give the order to break through, so the personnel who were in that area put him in front of the fact – the guys will break… pic.twitter.com/gGaMeMDYij
— BLYSKAVKA (@blyskavka_ua) July 25, 2024
Previously, Ukrainian forces, including potentially hundreds of troops from the 31st Mechanized Brigade, were nearly surrounded by Russian forces near Prohres, a strategic location west of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine. Avdiivka, captured by Russia in February 2024, has been the focal point of ongoing conflicts as Russian forces continue their advance towards Pokrovsk, a key defensive settlement for Ukraine.
Reports indicated that Russian motor rifle regiments had rapidly advanced westward, splitting into formations that nearly encircled the Ukrainian battalions. Despite this, Ukrainian troops held out, aided by friendly forces nearby
The broader context of this encirclement includes sector-wide issues with Ukrainian command and control. The situation near Prohres became critical due to a chaotic withdrawal by one of the infantry brigades, potentially the 110th Mechanized Brigade or the 111th Territorial Defense Brigade. In response, Ukraine’s elite 47th Mechanized Brigade moved in to prevent a deeper Russian breakthrough, but they too faced difficulties due to being outnumbered.
Amid these developments, Russian and Ukrainian forces have been using heavy drones to resupply isolated troops.
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