Ukrainian forces repelled a massive Russian assault in the south, eliminating 140 troops, destroying 29 pieces of military equipment, and damaging three tanks, the Southern Defense Forces reported.
A video of the engagement was published on Thursday, April 17, via Telegram with the caption: “On April 16, at about 6:00 p.m. in southern Ukraine, the enemy changed tactics and began assault operations in coordinated units.”
The footage captures key moments of the assault’s defeat – Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance and artillery targeting Russian forces, followed by multiple explosions and billowing clouds of smoke. However, Kyiv Post was unable to independently verify the time and location of the recording.
According to the report, the Russian assault group involved at least 320 personnel, 40 armored combat vehicles, three tanks, and about a dozen buggies.
The attack occurred near the settlements of Pyatikhatky, Stepove, Lobkove, Mala Tokmachka, and Mali Shcherbaky.
Russian troops from several regiments of the 58th Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District were reportedly involved.
Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance spotted the advancing Russians however, and both drone and artillery units launched strikes. The first Russian losses – three infantry fighting vehicles (BMPs) – reportedly occurred 8 kilometers before the line of combat contact.
The battle lasted more than two and a half hours, with Ukrainian forces inflicting fire damage on the assault fighters.
“Enemy losses: 29 units of military equipment destroyed, 140 personnel, three tanks damaged.” the report reads. “The enemy failed to achieve any success, and the Ukrainian Defense Forces held all their positions.”
Junior Sergeant Stanislav Bunyatov of the 24th Aidar Assault Battalion wrote on Telegram:
“Rusnya (a derogatory Ukrainian slang term used to refer to Russian forces or Russians in general) conducted one of the largest offensives. They tried to break through the defense west of Orikhiv… most of them were eliminated.”
In the comments section, Bunyatov responded to his subscribers by highlighting the large number of infantry involved in the assault: “Over 300 soldiers – for comparison, the North Koreans [in Kursk Oblast] were just running around the fields in groups of 30 to 40.”
Recent Ukrainian military successes
The report of success in the south is the latest in a string of battlefield successes for Ukrainian forces.
On April 14, Ukraine’s Separate Presidential Brigade released footage showing soldiers from the 3rd Mechanized Battalion destroying around 20 Russian motorcycles and over 20 armored vehicles, including tanks and BMPs, along with dozens of weapons and military equipment.
That Russian assault reportedly began with a motorcycle push, which was quickly neutralized by first-person-view (FPV) drones.
A second wave followed with three mechanized columns, but these too were destroyed by Ukrainian drone units and troops from the 31st Brigade.
Ukrainian forces estimated that up to 200 Russian troops were eliminated. The exact location of the attack was not disclosed.
In early April, Ukrainian forces repelled a major Russian assault near the village of Andriivka in the Donetsk region, about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) south of Bakhmut. On April 3, two Russian platoons with 19 armored vehicles attempted to break through Ukrainian lines.
Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance detected the column early. Artillery struck the lead vehicle, halting the advance. Russian troops retreated into a field, where they were targeted by artillery, drones, and air-dropped munitions.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) General Staff and tactical group “Vuhledar” confirmed 12 Russian armored vehicles were destroyed or damaged. Personnel losses remain unclear: official sources reported 18 killed and 7 wounded, while other reports suggest up to 60 Russian troops were killed.
Footage of the battle was posted by the military journalist Andriy Tsaplienko, who described the assault.
“Ukrainian artillery and drones simply smeared a column of enemy armored vehicles,” he wrote.