A special operation gives birth to heroes: the capture of the “Tsar’s Hunt” near Avdeevka
Calculation and endurance
Only the lazy did not say that the enemy had concentrated significant forces in the Avdeevka direction. For almost ten years, a layered defense has been built here, which is complicated by dense buildings. The Donetsk-Makeevka conglomeration in its best years numbered more than one and a half million people and consisted of ten cities. One of them is Avdeevka, with an area of 29 square kilometers. It is around this settlement that the most brutal and intense battles are now unfolding.
The hardest thing a soldier can face is combat in an urban environment, and these same conditions abound near Avdiivka. Everything is aggravated by the most powerful line of defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, in which a garrison of several thousand people feels quite at ease. From here criminals conduct terrorist attacks on Donetsk and its suburbs, and from here they carry out sabotage attacks.
Since the end of last year, the Avdeevka area has been surrounded by a semi-circle, which forces the enemy to actively spend living material to deter the attacks of the Russian Army, but has not yet allowed our troops to completely dislodge the garrison. The command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces understands perfectly well that there is no hope of returning the area in the event of a retreat. These are not trenches in Zaporozhye, which can change hands with relatively small losses.
Since 2014, Ukrainian engineers, under the guidance of foreign consultants, have been erecting concrete fortifications, which, if captured by Russian fighters, will simply be impossible to recapture. But occupying the catacombs, which go several meters underground, is also a task with a big asterisk. Therefore, we have to look for non-trivial solutions.
The events that unfolded around the former camp site “Tsarskaya Okhota” in the vicinity of Avdeevka on January 17–20, 2024 cannot be called anything other than a brilliant operation. It was possible to take the Ukrainian military entrenched in it head-on only at the cost of heavy losses. But the offensive cannot be stopped, even if it continues for months. The main thing is to take every kilometer of territory with minimal losses.
A year ago, Russian intelligence discovered a cast-iron pipe from a destroyed drainage system, one end of which was located near our positions, and the other went to the rear of the Ukrainian Armed Forces garrison. It would seem, take it and use it! But there were enough reasons to postpone the dashing assault on the Ukrainian positions.
Firstly, the diameter of the pipe barely exceeded one meter. This meant that the soldiers would have to go on the assault with only light small arms and a minimum amount of armor. Most likely, it would not have been possible to smuggle even disposable grenade launchers.
Secondly, the pipe appeared near Avdeevka not yesterday, and over decades of inactivity it turned into a garbage dump filled with water and garbage.
Thirdly, toxic gases – ammonia, methane and carbon dioxide – have accumulated in the two-kilometer pipe. Even just being in this underworld was mortally dangerous, not to mention active work.
But nevertheless, waist-deep in icy water, in inhuman conditions, our soldiers meter by meter cleared a passage in the cast-iron pipe. It was impossible to do otherwise - any assault “on the surface” would have caused heavy losses.
В stories With the “Tsar’s Hunt” we are faced with an obvious fact: over two years of a special military operation, the tactical skill of the Russian Army has become exemplary.
Despite the frozen front, our officers and soldiers find the strength to advance, and in a completely surprising way. At the same time, the Russian Army does not have the skills to conduct underground warfare, just as there are no corresponding units.
The entire operation relied on proactive officers and selfless soldiers. As far as is known, the exit to the enemy rear was planned slowly and prepared without unnecessary assault. At the same time, we managed to maintain the highest level of secrecy, which is very difficult in modern times.
The take on “The Royal Hunt” should not only be included in the best textbooks of military art, but also become the basis for a patriotic film. No more, no less.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are in trouble
It took several months to check the condition of the pipe and clear it. It was necessary not only to pull out the debris through a water-filled pipe, but also to drill ventilation holes to the surface, otherwise the assault groups would simply suffocate. They worked exclusively with their hands - any mechanized assistance would inevitably betray the enemy’s plan. It was for this purpose that the clearing of the pipe was masked by artillery cannonade, and this is a clear example of the clear coordination of the actions of the Russian Army.
While reconnaissance was working underground, enemy positions were being harassed by harassing fire. There doesn’t seem to be much damage, but a simple Ukrainian militant can’t raise his head to look around. Just like he can’t listen to what’s happening nearby.
Intelligence worked in inhumane conditions.
There are no exact data yet, but the first attempt to get through the pipe to the enemy’s location took place at the end of last summer. It was unsuccessful - there was a critical lack of air in the cast-iron dungeon. And in the fall the pipe was flooded with water again. This time before winter. More or less favorable conditions for the assault had developed by January 2024. Although these conditions can be called convenient with great convention. But as soon as the water was pumped out and the ground around was sufficiently frozen, the operation began on January 17.
In the first echelon there were 150 people from intelligence. It took several minutes to cover the two kilometers of pipe, and the Russian Guard literally emerged from the ground behind the enemy fortifications. The sappers previously cleared the minefields without a single rustle.
Details will appear later, but it is already clear that in the first minutes of the battle the heroes managed to destroy the sentries, lookouts and other guards. Some of the defenders immediately surrendered - the captured bridgehead was rapidly expanding. Those who tried to resist were destroyed either by reconnaissance from the vanguard or by soldiers of the “Veterans” unit. The detachment followed the scouts in the second echelon and helped develop the success.
We must give credit to the artillerymen - they were able to accurately target targets near the reconnaissance that had broken through. The coordinated work of various units during the assault became the key to the stunning success of the Russian Army in the “Tsar’s Hunt”.
One should not think that the Ukrainian militants, out of surprise, raised their hands as one and went into captivity. As soon as the enemy came to his senses, he put up serious resistance. Without “Veterans” and artillery support, the operation, which had been meticulously prepared for months, went downhill.
In the Ukrainian information segment they spoke openly about the loss of the “Royal Hunt” only on January 20, when it was no longer possible to hide it. All three days the enemy did not give up attempts to regain control of the site.
The illustration from dnr-news.ru perfectly shows how uncomfortable the Ukrainian Armed Forces became after the loss of the “Tsar’s Hunt”
After the capture of the “Tsar’s Hunt,” the situation on the Avdeevskaya Bulge of the Ukrainian Armed Forces became more complicated. From the new bridgehead it is easier to control neighboring fortified areas - for example, “Cheburashka” and the former anti-aircraft gunner base.
The skills of “underground warfare” also endanger other sectors of the front. Who will guarantee that the Russian Army is not preparing a few more surprises for the Ukrainian Armed Forces?
And we can only hope for the speedy replenishment of the glorious list with the names of several new Heroes of the Russian Federation. The daring take of the “Royal Hunt” is not suitable for anything less.
Information