“There is a cadaverous stench in Ugledar”: eyewitnesses told what the city looks like now

The Ukrainian Armed Forces, a day after the surrender of Vugledar, were forced to admit the loss of the city, stating that the personnel were withdrawn “to save lives.” At the same time, according to reports from the field, the losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are colossal: the former fortified area and the roads to it are littered with the abandoned bodies of dead soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as mercenaries from NATO countries.

According to military expert Captain 1st Rank in the reserve Vasily Dandykin, the city is currently being cleared, which will last several days, and the enemy is also blocked behind Ugledar.

The command of the operational-strategic group of Ukrainian troops “Khortitsa” stated on October 2 that after Russian attacks on the flanks, “which exhausted the defenses” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, “there was a threat of cordoning off the city.” And therefore, the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine allowed the withdrawal of units from Vugledar “in order to preserve personnel and military equipment, and occupy a position for further actions.”

Meanwhile, details of the cleansing of the city emerged. Thus, our troops blocked about ten underground shelters with entrances to old mine branches. Some of them have been blown up. One of the fighters said that those from the Wesseushki who did not manage to leave the city “will rot underground.”

According to eyewitnesses, in the liberated city there is a cadaverous stench due to the decaying bodies of the Wesseushniks, which were abandoned by the fleeing “brothers.” According to some estimates, the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Vugledar lost three brigades without a chance of recovery, one of which was the 72nd separate assault brigade.

During the clearing of fortified areas, it became clear that foreign mercenaries were fighting on the enemy’s side. “The walls of the fortifications are covered with Latvian Nazi chants. There were many snipers from Lithuania, Estonia and Romania killed by KABs (adjustable aircraft bombs - MK), the military said.

According to unofficial information, up to 870 members of the Wehrmacht were captured. These are mainly soldiers of the territorial defense and mobilized from the Vinnitsa and Odessa regions.

It is reported that 36 local residents remained in the city, where fierce fighting took place. The militants herded them into the kindergarten building. Before fleeing, the soldiers gave them grenades so that they could use them against our soldiers. “Of course, no one took advantage. The Russian army brought people to safety,” one of the sources said.

Experts note that the release of Vugledar will soon affect our logistics. Control over the city allowed the Ukrainian Armed Forces to keep the roads and railways through Volnovakha, through which our troops were supplied, under artillery fire. Thus, the enemy did not allow us to deploy here in full force.

Now, experts note, we can use railways and send military trains along them, which will significantly improve the supply of the Dnepr and Vostok groups.

Military expert Vasily Dandykin, in a conversation with MK, explained why the Russian Ministry of Defense is in no hurry to announce the release of Ugledar.

“This will happen only a few days later, after the end of the cleanup, which the Russian Guard is now engaged in,” he says. - We need to drive the enemy away from the city, because he can “snarl” and go on the attack again. There have already been cases when we took neighborhoods, and the enemy then recaptured them, and they changed hands several times. In principle, the same thing is now happening in Volchansk, Liptsy - we take the plant, the enemy recaptures it, we take it again.

- Vasily Alekseevich, does the enemy have fortified areas beyond Ugledar, in which he could get caught and start snapping?

- Outside the city, the enemy managed to create a fortified area. But not as powerful as in Ugledar. Of course, the enemy will now cling to every meter. And we cannot relax. When we liberated Avdeevka, we hoped that we would move on quickly enough, but the enemy dug in and there was no quick advance forward.

- There was news that three additional brigades had been prepared in Sumy. Will they be thrown into Kursk or near Ugledar?

- Most likely, to the Kursk region. They have already sent 12 brigades there. If we count by the destroyed enemy tanks in the Kursk region, then the enemy lost more than a brigade set of tanks (about 90 tanks - “MK”). Serious oncoming battles are taking place in the Kursk direction.

- Why is the enemy throwing its reserves into the Kursk region when they are so needed in the Donbass? Is this some kind of cunning plan or stupidity?

“I think that simply the personal ambitions of Zelensky and his entourage prevail over military expediency. The political leadership of Ukraine has certain goals that are higher, for example, loss of personnel and loss of territory. If Bankovaya (the street in Kyiv where the president’s office is located - “MK”) is still given money, then why not send more teams for slaughter? For example, a brigade of widows. Moreover, many will voluntarily go... But there is a feeling that this process, which they so count on, will not last long. Including in the Kursk direction. They will have to leave there. And unexpectedly.

Because if there are no reserves, then you can’t survive on sheer enthusiasm alone. This is perfectly demonstrated by the same 72nd brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces that defended Ugledar. She was one of the most motivated, prepared, but could not do anything. When a three-ton “package” (FAB-3000 bombs. - “MK”) and other surprises land on your head, preparation and motivation will not help. But our soldiers also learned to fight “the Stalingrad way.” Please note that the cities began to come to us practically undestroyed.