On March 30, Ukrainian troops repelled the largest mechanized Russian offensive since October 2023 near the occupied village of Tonenke near Avdiyivka.
AFU repels a large-scale Russian assault
Experts of the Institute for the Study of War write regarding a Ukrainian military official that on March 30, Russian troops, including units of the Russian 6th Tank Regiment (90th Tank Division), threw 36 tanks and 12 APVs into a heavily mechanised assault near Tonenke.
Geolocation images released on March 31 show large numbers of destroyed and damaged Russian armored vehicles and tanks along the road northwest of Tonenke (west of Avdiivka).
A Ukrainian serviceman said that during the assault, Ukrainian forces destroyed 12 Russian tanks and eight APVs.
He noted that the Russian strike failed to break the Ukrainian defence line.
What does a large-scale assault on the Russian Federation mean?
ISW notes that the Russian occupiers have not conducted such a large-scale mechanized offensive since the beginning of the Russian offensive operation to capture Avdiivka in late October 2023.
On October 19-20, 2023, Ukrainian troops reportedly destroyed almost 50 Russian tanks and more than 100 armoured vehicles.
Ukrainian forces may have had to spend a significant amount of material to defend against a Russian attack near Tonenke, underscoring Russia's ability to launch attacks that force Ukraine to expend huge portions of its already limited material and human reserves to defend.
Experts note that Ukraine's skilful defence against a large-scale Russian assault on a particularly critical front section shows that Ukrainian forces can achieve significant battlefield results if they are adequately equipped.
