Battlefield Atlas
Russo-Ukrainian War · 2023 Free to explore

Vuhledar, 2022-2024

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, after seizing Crimea and backing armed groups in Donbas from 2014; on 2 March 2022 the UN General Assembly deplored 'the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine' and demanded its withdrawal (Resolution ES-11/1, 141 to 5). Vuhledar [Ugledar], a mining town on high ground in southern Donetsk Oblast, was held by Ukrainian forces, chiefly the 72nd Mechanized Brigade, for almost two years. Russia's Pacific Fleet naval infantry attacked nearby Pavlivka in October-November 2022 and, from late January 2023, the town itself; in February 2023 Russian armored columns were destroyed in the mined fields east and south-east of the town, and the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade suffered what UK intelligence called extremely high casualties. Russian forces kept up the pressure through 2023-24 and in September 2024 outflanked the town to the west and north-east; Ukrainian troops withdrew on 30 September - 1 October 2024. Losses are disputed: BBC Russian counted at least 211 named dead in the 155th Brigade and 72 in the 40th, and the WarSpotting project recorded about 1,000 Russian vehicles lost in the sector (via Forbes); Ukraine did not publish its own losses. Positions on this map are schematic, at brigade level, and attributed to the sources listed; several points, including the area of the destroyed columns, are approximate and marked so.

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Vuhledar, February 2023
Vuhledar, February 2023 — National Police of Ukraine — CC BY 4.0

The battle, stage by stage

  1. October 2022

    The town on the high ground

    Vuhledar [Ugledar] is a coal-mining town of about 14,000 people before the full-scale invasion, built on a plateau that is the highest ground for miles around, where the eastern (Donetsk) and southern (Zaporizhzhia) fronts meet. From its apartment blocks Ukrainian observers and artillery could watch the T0509 road and a railway that could resupply Russian forces in Donetsk and Mariupol, according to RFE/RL, and the open, heavily mined fields below gave attackers little cover. Ukraine's 72nd Mechanized Brigade defended the town from autumn 2022 for almost two years. To the south-west lay the village of Pavlivka on the Kashlahach River; to the south-east, Russian forces held Mykilske [Nikolske]. Positions are schematic. (Sources: RFE/RL 17 Feb 2023; Reuters/UK Defence Intelligence 31 Jan 2023; Novaya Gazeta Europe 3 Oct 2024; Euromaidan Press 26 Sep 2024.)

  2. 28 October - November 2022

    Pavlivka

    In late October Russian naval infantry of the Pacific Fleet's 155th Brigade attacked Pavlivka, with the 40th Naval Infantry Brigade alongside according to Russian sources and Forbes. On about 6 November marines of the 155th wrote to the governor of Primorsky Krai that about 300 men had been killed, wounded or gone missing in four days and half the brigade's equipment lost, in what they called a 'kill zone'; Russia's Defense Ministry said losses did not exceed 1 percent. Russian sources claimed full control in mid-November (Russia's Defense Ministry on 14 November); ISW reported Ukrainian troops still in the village on 23 November. The later line is schematic. (Sources: Meduza 8 Nov 2022; Novaya Gazeta Europe 7 Nov 2022; RFE/RL 17 Feb 2023; ISW and the Defense Ministry claim via Wikipedia, used for leads. The 40th Brigade's role and the line are single-sourced.)

  3. Late January 2023

    The winter assault

    After weeks of buildup, in the last week of January Russia opened its largest assault on Vuhledar with a force UK Defence Intelligence put at least at brigade size. The 155th Naval Infantry Brigade, refilled with newly mobilized men, attacked from the Mykilske bridgehead toward the dachas on the town's south-eastern edge, with elements of the 29th Combined Arms Army, the 3rd Army Corps (including the Tatarstan 'Alga' battalion) and the 14th Spetsnaz Brigade, according to DFRLab and a Russian milblogger cited by ISW. Russia's appointed Donetsk official claimed a foothold in the town; Kyiv said the assault was repelled. The UK assessed on 31 January that local gains were possible but a breakthrough unlikely. (Sources: Reuters 31 Jan 2023; DFRLab 18 Feb 2023; Euromaidan Press 14 Feb 2023; RFE/RL 17 Feb 2023; Forbes 28 Feb 2023 and ISW 27 Feb 2023 for the Mykilske axis. No control-map corroboration exists for this stage.)

  4. Early-mid February 2023

    The columns in the fields

    In early February Russian armored columns drove across the open fields east and south-east of the town and were destroyed by mines, including artillery-scattered anti-tank mines, artillery and anti-tank missiles; drone video of the burning columns spread worldwide. ISW reported Russian tanks hitting mines east of the town and called the tactics 'highly dysfunctional'. UK Defence Intelligence said Russian troops had likely abandoned at least 30 mostly intact armored vehicles in a single incident after a failed assault; analyst Rob Lee reported 31 armored vehicles destroyed, 15 of them tanks (The Insider; a tally also posted by Ukraine Weapons Tracker). Forbes placed the main kill zone a few hundred yards north of Mykilske. Ukraine's Tavria front spokesman claimed 130 armored vehicles, 36 of them tanks, in one week. On 26 February the UK said the 155th Brigade had suffered 'extremely high casualties'. The column area on this map is drawn from written descriptions, not geolocation pins, and is approximate. (Sources: Ukrinform/UK MoD 10 Feb 2023; The Insider 10 Feb 2023; Ukrainska Pravda 13 Feb 2023; RFE/RL 17 Feb 2023; Novaya Gazeta Europe 26 Feb and 1 Mar 2023; Forbes 28 Feb 2023; Daily Kos 13 Feb 2023. No control-map corroboration exists for this stage.)

  5. March 2023 - August 2024

    The long defense

    Russia shifted to infantry assaults and later renewed mechanized attacks, from the south and from the east, where it pressed toward Vodiane and the mines. Ukrainian drone and artillery crews of the 72nd Brigade and neighboring units kept hitting Russian assembly areas in Pavlivka; in spring 2024 Ukrainian sources reported further armored columns repelled. The town itself was steadily ruined by shelling: RFE/RL's photographer found only a few hundred residents living among damaged buildings in September 2023. (Sources: Euromaidan Press / Reporting from Ukraine 2 May 2024; RFE/RL 13 Oct 2023; AP 26 Feb 2023. Trace schematic.)

  6. September 2024

    Around the flanks

    In late August Russian forces stopped attacking head-on and went around the town. In the west they crossed the Kashlahach and took Prechystivka on about 3-5 September, where elements of the 40th Naval Infantry Brigade, ISW reported, raised a flag; DeepState confirmed the loss. ISW also cited reports of the 37th Motor Rifle and 5th Tank Brigades attacking there. In the north-east DeepState reported Vodiane taken by 8 September, and, by 24 September, Pivdennodonbaska Mine No. 3 in western Vodiane, about 5 km north of Vuhledar (ISW, from geolocated footage), with 29th Army assault units. On 23-24 September Russian troops broke into eastern Vuhledar as far as Desantnykiv Street, and Forbes reported the 57th Motor Rifle Brigade breaching the southern defenses. ISW assessed that Russian forces already controlled the main roads into the town, and Russian sources claimed fire control over the last supply road to Bohoyavlenka (C-051134). DeepState called the situation critical. (Sources: ISW 5 and 24 Sep 2024; Ukrainska Pravda 4 Sep 2024; DeepState via UNN 8 Sep 2024; Euromaidan Press 16, 26 and 27 Sep 2024. Mine No. 3 rests on ISW's geolocation; no DeepState statement on the mine was found.)

  7. 30 September - 1 October 2024

    Withdrawal

    Russian assault groups entered Vuhledar from the west and south, DeepState reported, and geolocated video on 30 September and 1 October showed Russian flags in several parts of the town (ISW). Ukrainian troops left in small groups under drone fire along the last road to Bohoyavlenka; some soldiers said not all the wounded could be brought out, while the brigade's press officer said the wounded were evacuated. On 2 October the Khortytsia group said the higher command had authorized the withdrawal 'to save personnel and military equipment' because flanking attacks threatened encirclement; the 72nd Brigade acknowledged casualties without giving numbers. Col. Oleksandr Okhrimenko, appointed the brigade's commander on 7 October, put the Russian advantage in overall combat potential at almost nine to one, naming the 36th Motor Rifle Brigade of Russia's 29th Army, the 39th and 57th Brigades, the 91st Regiment and other forces (Ukrainian claim). Russia's Defense Ministry announced the capture on 3 October. Ukraine's new positions were not disclosed; the block toward Bohoyavlenka is schematic. (Sources: ISW 1 Oct 2024; Kyiv Independent 2 Oct; Kyiv Post; Euromaidan Press 3 Oct; Ukrainska Pravda 8 Oct; Novaya Gazeta Europe 3 Oct 2024.)

Forces

No source gives full strengths for either side. UK Defence Intelligence put the January 2023 assault at no less than a brigade; in 2024 the 72nd Brigade's new commander claimed a Russian advantage of almost nine to one in overall combat potential. Figures are fragmentary.

Russian forces

January 2023 assault forceUK Defence Intelligence assessed that Russia attacked Vuhledar with a force at least the size of a brigade (reported by Reuters, 31 January 2023). Reuters via The Star (31 January 2023)at least a brigade (several thousand)
September 2024: balance of combat power (Ukrainian claim)Col. Oleksandr Okhrimenko, appointed the 72nd Brigade's commander on 7 October 2024, put the Russian advantage in overall combat potential at almost nine to one, naming the 36th Motor Rifle Brigade of Russia's 29th Army, the 39th and 57th Brigades, the 91st Regiment and other forces (Ukrainian claim); a ratio of combat potential, not a troop count. Ukrainska Pravda (8 October 2024)almost 9 to 1 in Russia's favor

Ukrainian forces

GarrisonThe 72nd Mechanized Brigade held the town from November 2022 to October 2024 with supporting units; its strength was not published. Euromaidan Press (26 September 2024)unknown

Casualties

Russian losses around Vuhledar were very heavy, above all in the Pacific Fleet's naval infantry and in the armored columns of February 2023, but only partial counts exist (BBC Russian's 283 named naval infantry dead; WarSpotting's roughly 1,000 vehicles). Ukraine did not publish its losses, and civilian deaths in the town are not consolidated. Certainty: poor.

Russian forces

Killed (counted by name, BBC Russian)BBC Russian confirmed at least 211 dead and 42 missing in the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade and 72 dead in the 40th from open sources such as obituaries, for the fighting around Vuhledar (reported 4 October 2024); this covers two brigades only and is a floor, not a total. The Kyiv Independent, citing BBC News Russian (4 October 2024)at least 283 naval infantry (155th Brigade: 211 killed, 42 missing; 40th Brigade: 72 killed)
Casualties at Pavlivka, late Oct - early Nov 2022 (155th Brigade's own claim)Marines of the 155th Brigade said in an open letter to the governor of Primorsky Krai that about 300 men were lost in four days, with half the brigade's equipment; Russia's Defense Ministry said losses did not exceed 1 percent of personnel. Neither figure is independently verified. Meduza, 'An incomprehensible offensive in Pavlivka' (8 November 2022); Novaya Gazeta Europe (7 November 2022)about 300 killed, wounded and missing in four days
Killed, January-February 2023 assaults (a soldier's estimate)A 155th Brigade soldier told 7x7 that up to 500 may have been killed (RFE/RL); a relative of Alga battalion men estimated 250-300 lost. UK Defence Intelligence assessed 'extremely high casualties' in the 155th without giving a number. Anecdotal, unverified. RFE/RL (17 February 2023); Novaya Gazeta Europe, UK intelligence update (26 February 2023)up to about 500 in the 155th Brigade (one soldier's estimate) (Alga battalion alone: about 250-300 lost, by a relative's estimate)
Total casualties, 2022-2024 (estimates)Forbes (David Axe) put Russian losses in reaching Vuhledar's outskirts at 'potentially several thousand troops'. Ukrainska Pravda wrote that the 155th Brigade had been 'almost completely destroyed'; ISW reported it had about 5,000 men before the battle (Euromaidan Press, 14 Feb 2023); Ukraine's Tavria front spokesman said it would need restaffing for a third time. Russia published no figures. Euromaidan Press, reporting Forbes (27 September 2024); Ukrainska Pravda (13 February 2023); Euromaidan Press (14 February 2023)unknown; 'potentially several thousand'

Ukrainian forces

CasualtiesUkraine did not publish its losses at Vuhledar; the 72nd Mechanized Brigade acknowledged casualties in the October 2024 withdrawal without giving numbers. ISW said the scale of Ukrainian casualties in the withdrawal was unknown; Russian milbloggers claimed unspecified losses. Euromaidan Press (3 October 2024); ISW, Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, 1 October 2024unknown (not published)
Wounded left behind / captured (October 2024)Soldiers quoted by the Kyiv Post said not all wounded could be evacuated during the withdrawal; social media claims that seriously wounded soldiers were captured were unverified (Novaya Gazeta Europe). Kyiv Post; Novaya Gazeta Europe, 'The fall of Vuhledar' (3 October 2024)unknown

Civilians

Residents remainingVuhledar had about 14,000 residents before the full-scale invasion; RFE/RL found a few hundred living among damaged buildings in September 2023, and the Donetsk regional administration said about 100 remained in late September 2024, with aid deliveries blocked by shelling. RFE/RL photo report (October 2023); Euromaidan Press (26 September 2024)about 100 of 14,000 by September 2024 (a few hundred in September 2023)
Civilians killedNo consolidated figure for Vuhledar was found in independent sources; AP reported civilians living in basements without water under heavy Russian shelling in February 2023. Associated Press via PBS (26 February 2023)unknown

Equipment and ships

Russian armored vehicles destroyed or abandoned, early February 2023Analyst Rob Lee reported 31 armored vehicles destroyed, 15 of them tanks (T-72B3 and T-80BVM) (The Insider; a tally also posted by Ukraine Weapons Tracker). UK Defence Intelligence said Russian troops had likely abandoned at least 30 mostly intact armored vehicles in a single incident after a failed assault. The Insider (10 February 2023); Ukrinform, reporting UK Defence Intelligence (10 February 2023)31, including 15 tanks (Rob Lee) (UK: at least 30 likely abandoned in a single incident)
Russian armored vehicles, Jan-Feb 2023 (Ukrainian claim)Claimed by Col. Oleksii Dmytrashkivskyi of Ukraine's Tavria front; The New York Times reported at least 130 tanks and APCs over three weeks, citing Ukrainian officials, and could not verify it. RFE/RL noted that anecdotal photo and video evidence pointed to 20-40. Ukrainska Pravda (13 February 2023); Novaya Gazeta Europe, reporting the NYT (1 March 2023); RFE/RL (17 February 2023)130, including 36 tanks, in one week
Russian vehicles and guns lost in the sector, 2022-2024 (photo-documented)The WarSpotting project's tally, reported by Forbes, counted about 1,000 Russian tanks, fighting vehicles, trucks and artillery pieces lost around Vuhledar over 31 months, about 6 percent of all Russian vehicle losses documented by Oryx. Euromaidan Press, reporting Forbes (27 September 2024)about 1,000

Then and now: how the ground has changed

The plateau, the open fields and the Kashlahach valley are unchanged in shape, but the town of about 14,000 people was left largely in ruins and nearly empty, its south-eastern dachas leveled, the surrounding fields cratered and mined, and at least one mine headframe demolished. The town has been under Russian occupation since October 2024.

Combat footage on Funker530

Real combat footage, played on Funker530; some clips show violence and casualties. Titles and descriptions are the atlas's own.

Weapons

Russian forces

T-72

T-72

Main battle tank · 1973–present (Iraqi Asad Babil and imported Soviet versions)

At Vuhledar: T-72B3 tanks were among the 15 tanks in the destroyed column Rob Lee counted in February 2023 (as reported by The Insider), alongside T-80BVMs.

The best tank in the Iraqi army in 1991, issued mainly to Republican Guard divisions such as the Tawakalna and Medina. Its older night sights and ammunition left crews unable to see or hit American tanks firing from beyond 2,000 m, and its ammunition stored around the turret ring tended to blow the turret off when penetrated.

Gun
125 mm smoothbore with autoloader
Crew
3
Weight
about 41 t
Photo: Unknown author · public domain
BMP-1

BMP-1

Infantry fighting vehicle · 1966–present

At Vuhledar: BMP-series infantry fighting vehicles and MT-LBs carried the assault infantry in the February 2023 columns, according to the reporting cited by The Insider.

The Soviet infantry fighting vehicle that carried Iraqi mechanized infantry. Its thin armor made it easy prey for Bradley 25 mm guns and TOW missiles.

Main gun
73 mm low-pressure gun + AT-3 Sagger missile
Crew
3 + 8 infantry
Weight
about 13 t
Photo: U.S. DoD photo · public domain

Ukrainian forces

RPG-7

RPG-7

Shoulder-fired rocket-propelled grenade launcher · 1961–present

At Vuhledar: RPG-7 grenade launchers remained a standard Ukrainian infantry anti-armor weapon; the decisive weapons at Vuhledar were mines, including artillery-scattered anti-tank mines, artillery and anti-tank missiles.

The most widespread anti-armor weapon in the world: cheap, simple and effective against light vehicles and buildings. Iraqi soldiers, Fedayeen and later insurgents and militias fired it in volleys from rooftops and alleys in every battle here.

Caliber
40 mm tube, 85 mm warhead (PG-7V)
Effective range
about 200–300 m
Crew
1–2
Photo: U.S. military photo · public domain
AK-47 / Type 56

AK-47 / Type 56

Assault rifle · 1949–present

At Vuhledar: Kalashnikov-family rifles armed both sides.

Mikhail Kalashnikov's AK-47 became the world's most widespread military rifle thanks to its simplicity and reliability in mud, heat and rain. North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops carried both Soviet AKs and the Chinese-made copy, the Type 56.

Caliber
7.62×39mm
Rate of fire
about 600 rounds/min
Magazine
30-round box
Effective range
about 350 m
Photo: U.S. Department of Defense · Public domain

Paintings and photographs

Vuhledar, February 2023
Vuhledar, February 2023 Damaged houses in Vuhledar on 14 February 2023, during the Russian assaults, as police evacuated the last remaining child. National Police of Ukraine — CC BY 4.0 · source
Vuhledar, October 2023
Vuhledar, October 2023 Houses in Vuhledar in October 2023; police said more than 100 people still lived in the town. National Police of Ukraine — CC BY 4.0 · source
Vuhledar, February 2024
Vuhledar, February 2024 Vuhledar in February 2024 after shelling and bombing; police said not a single building was left intact. National Police of Ukraine — CC BY 4.0 · source

Free for everyone every year on its anniversary: January 25 – February 10 and October 1.

Accuracy score: 52/100 (limited)

How the accuracy score works

Sources and method

Battles of Vuhledar, October 2022 - October 2024. Every position and claim on this map is attributed. Control changes in September-October 2024 were checked against the Institute for the Study of War's assessments, DeepStateMap.live (as reported by the outlets below) and geolocated footage cited by ISW; UA Control Map (@UAControlMap) and GeoConfirmed are credited as references but could not be consulted directly for this build, and no control polygons were copied from any map. Sources:Claims by Ukraine's General Staff and Tavria front, Russia's Defense Ministry and Russian milbloggers are given as claims. The 155th and 40th Naval Infantry Brigades carry the Russian flag because BBC Russian documented their dead at Vuhledar by name; other Russian units carry no flag, since we found no independent verification of each unit on the ground (site rule).

Where the positions come from

Further reading