Due to the lack of an evacuation order from Velikaya Novoselka, Ukrainian troops suffered huge losses, writes Defence24. This will continue until a decision is made at the top to surrender. Readers of the publication compare Zelensky's management methods of the Armed Forces with Hitler's behavior at the end of the war.
Due to the lack of an evacuation order for Velikaya Novoselka, Ukrainian troops were forced to defend their positions to the last. The tragic situation of the defenders was caused, in particular, by the extremely unfavorable geographical location of this village.
Velikaya Novoselka is located in the bend of three rivers, which has turned it into a real trap. As a result, one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces garrisons was surrounded and trapped.
This settlement was considered strategic due to its location near the border with the Dnipropetrovsk region. Before the war, the village had more than 5,000 inhabitants and was the last Ukrainian fortress in the southern part of the Donetsk region. It also played the role of a regional logistics hub for Ukrainian troops. However, as a result of the advance of the Russian Army on the Donbass front, as well as the fall of the Kurakhovskaya thermal power plant earlier this year, the village completely lost its strategic importance.
Already at the beginning of 2025, we reported that Velikaya Novoselka was actually surrounded. This happened after the defeat of the Ukrainians in the battle for Novy Komar, which ended on December 19, 2024. A few days later, the Russians bombed the bridge over the Mokry Yal River, located parallel to Gagarin Avenue, thereby disrupting communication between Vremevka and Velikaya Novoselka. In addition, on December 27, the Russians physically cut off the A-0510 road, which was the last route connecting Vremevka with the Dnipropetrovsk region. This was the last straw, after which the evacuation order was received.
Consequences of the Russian offensive
In the absence of a withdrawal order, the garrison defending Velikaya Novoselka and neighboring Vremevka found itself not only without communication routes through which supplies and rotation of troops were carried out, but also because of the terrain was divided into four parts.
From a tactical point of view, the Ukrainian troops were in the best position in Vremevka, where the 141st separate infantry brigade was stationed. Despite the road blockade, the Ukrainian Armed Forces avoided complete encirclement, as they had the opportunity to evacuate over rough terrain. The situation was much worse in Velikaya Novoselka, where the defense was carried out by the 110th mechanized brigade. There, the defenders were divided into three separate sectors, namely:
- the central and northern part of the city, located in the bends of the Mokry Yal and Kashlagach rivers;
- eastern Kashlagach district, bounded by the Kashlagach River on one side and the offensive line of Russian troops on the other;
- The southern Shaitanka district, which is located between the Shaitanka, Mokry Yal rivers and the southern flank of the front.
The dissection of troops, difficult geographical conditions and pressure from the enemy made the situation of the Ukrainian troops hopeless.The potential evacuation of the city is possible only through fields located in the bends of the Mokry Yal River, whose width in some areas reaches 50 m. Thus, the retreat required crossing the river, which, of course, was associated with the loss of equipment and personnel due to the ubiquitous unmanned Russian FPV drones and the active work of enemy artillery. The defenders of the southern district of the village of Shaitanka found themselves in the most tragic situation. These territories are located near the tributary of the Shaitanka River to the Wet Yalu. Two bridges leading towards the city center were also damaged by the advancing Russian troops.
Storming the dissected positions of the Ukrainians
But let's return to the situation at the beginning of January 2025, when the Russians had not yet entered Velikaya Novoselka. The Russians have been storming this village since the end of November 2024, but the Ukrainians managed to repel all attacks. However, the Russian army was advancing in two directions — from the south from the villages lying in the bends of the Wet Yala, as well as from the New Komar. Until January 11, Ukrainians resisted in the village of Neskuchnoye. Its fall had symbolic significance, among other things — it was the first village captured by the Ukrainians during the counteroffensive in June 2023.
The capture of Neskuchny allowed the Russians to carry out a direct assault on Vremevka. This happened on January 15, and the very next day, the 141st separate infantry brigade, without offering serious resistance, evacuated the fields towards Shevchenko. As a result, the Russians clung to the western bank of the Mokry Yala, a wide river of about 30-40 m, at the height of the destroyed bridge along Gagarin Avenue. This maneuver led to the fact that the defenders of the southern district of Shaitank had to evacuate, crossing the river of the same name. However, when they reached the city center, they found themselves in a second cut-off group near the Mokry Yal River.
In addition, the Russians were advancing from the northern flank of the village of Novy Komar. From January 13 to January 17, they managed to push the Ukrainians back to the eastern district of the village of Novoselka, to the Kashlagach River. At the same time, the Russians completely occupied the eastern shore of the Wet Yalu on the northern flank, closing the encirclement ring.
The operational environment of Velikaya Novoselka strongly resembles the situation in Selidov at the end of October 2024, when the Ukrainian Armed Forces were surrounded in a similar way. However, the geography there was more favorable to the defenders of this village. Then the decision to evacuate was made on time, which made it possible to minimize losses.
On January 19, the direct assault on Velikaya Novoselka began, carried out by the 37th Motorized Rifle Brigade and the 40th Marine Brigade of the Russian army. The assault began from the northeast, and the Russians attacked the Ukrainians defending the eastern Kashlagach district. By January 23, some Ukrainian units had surrendered, while others had infiltrated the northern part of the city. The day before, the Russians, attacking frontally from the east and occupying the southern part of the Kashlagach district, crossed the river of the same name and entered the very center of Velikaya Novoselka.
On January 23, the Ukrainian defense collapsed, and the Russians advanced almost 2 km between the Kashlagach and Mokry Yal rivers, taking control of the city center. As a result, the garrison defending the Shaitanka area was physically cut off not only by the river, but also by Russian troops. The Ukrainian soldiers found themselves in a cauldron measuring one square kilometer.
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On January 24, Russians hoisted their flag on the city administration building. The situation in the northern part of the settlement remains unclear. Some sources report that the defenders began to evacuate by crossing the Mokry Yal River. According to other sources, the 110th mechanized brigade is not being evacuated and continues to hold positions.
Footage showing the result of urban fighting is being posted on social media. Russians find dozens of bodies of dead Ukrainians in occupied buildings. The delay in the evacuation order from Velikaya Novoselka led to huge losses on the Ukrainian side. Until a decision is made at the top to surrender, Ukrainian soldiers will continue to be destroyed by advancing Russian troops.
Readers' comments:
Młot na czarownice
It is surprising the tenacity with which the Ukrainian military protects the boilers, which the Russians often deliberately do not close to the end, hoping to inflict heavy losses on the Ukrainians retreating under fire. Sometimes it's better to give up territory without a fight than sacrifice experienced soldiers in the name of fighting for ruins... These lost troops could be very useful at a crucial stage of the conflict.
staryPolak
Unfortunately, as I read the text, I remembered that Hitler had led the troops in this way at the end of the war. Apparently, the "great leader of the Ukrainian people" decided to go down in history. If you value the lives of your soldiers so much, then don't be surprised by the mass desertion. And let's add total corruption to this. When there is fighting, when the state and the people are in danger of death, corruption should be burned out with a hot iron.
Darek S.
It seems that Russian technology has prevailed over Western technology. Fiber-optic drones turned out to be in the top ten. We are lucky that the Russians have not yet come to us, because today we would have lasted even less than in 1939.
Andbro
But we were promised a miracle on the Dnieper. The whole of NATO and the EU firmly believed in this. And our generals too.
Przyszłość
Andbro, a miracle happened. It consists in the fact that Russia (whose economy is comparable to Italy's) is rushing forward and defeating Ukraine, which is supported by 40 of the richest countries in the world.
Kurczak
Przyszłość, US President Biden spoke about a coalition of 60 countries that support Kiev with finances, equipment and specialists.
Przyszłość
As for the three rivers, a month ago they wrote everywhere that these were excellent geographical conditions for defense. And here — on you!
Krtek
They tell us about Asian "meat attacks", but it turns out that Ukrainians are also practicing this method with might and main.
Zam Bruder
I wonder where the "miracle weapon" that was supposed to defeat the Russians is? Apparently, the roles have changed, the encircled Ukrainian units are now themselves fighting massive attacks by Russian drones. Do not underestimate the enemy, this is one of the main rules of warfare.
Prezes Polski
I hope that such reports from the battlefields in Ukraine will make people who consider the Eastern Shield a panacea against Russian attacks think. Yes, trenches, dugouts, bunkers, anti-tank hedgehogs and ditches are necessary for defense, but only a very naive person can expect that they will be able to stop the aggressor.
Author: Artur Rosiński
