Battle of Mala Tokmachka

Last updated
Battle of Mala Tokmachka
Part of the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Date7 June 2023 - 30 June 2023
Location
Mala Tokmachka,[ citation needed ] Zaporizhia Oblast, Ukraine
Result Russian victory
Belligerents
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine
Commanders and leaders
Flag of Russia.svg Roman Demurchiyev [1] unknown
Units involved

Banner of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (obverse).svg  Russian Armed Forces

Ensign of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.svg  Ukrainian Armed Forces

Strength
10,000+ 4,000[ not verified in body ]
Casualties and losses

Per David Axe
Light
Per Ukraine [lower-alpha 1]

1,900 killed

Per David Axe
30% of Ukrainian soldiers killed or wounded
25 Tanks, IFVs and APCs destroyed
2 Leopard 2 captured [2]
Per Russia [lower-alpha 2]

350 killed

Contents


30 Tanks
40 IFVs and APCs destroyed
2 Leopard 2 captured [3] [4]

A battle took place around the village of Mala Tokmachka during the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Background

At the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Mala Tokmachka quickly became a frontline settlement. The population would drop to only around 200 people by May 2023 due to the proximity of the fighting to the village and consistent Russian shelling which destroyed much of the local infrastructure and utilities. [5] On 13 June 2023, French researcher Philippe Gros referred to the Ukrainian counteroffensive operations south of Mala Tokmachka as a "major axis", with the intention of advancing in the direction of the occupied city of Melitopol, which had been captured by Russian forces early into the invasion. [6] David Axe of Forbes wrote that "perhaps 10,000 or more" Russian soldiers from the 70th, 291st, 429th, and 503rd Motor Rifle Regiments from the 58th Combined Arms Army's 42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division were stationed on the front lines near Tokmak. [7] The 22nd and 45th Guards Spetsnaz Brigades were also reported by Axe to be in reserve. [8]

Battle

On 7 June 2023, Ukrainian forces would first attempt to push the fighting away from the settlement while the Ukrainian 47th Mechanized Brigade and 33rd Mechanized Brigade totaling 4,000 soldiers,[ failed verification ] would launch a mechanized assault on[ failed verification ] the village. [9] [10] Despite being armed with new western equipment, the initial attack went poorly. Russian scouts from the 70th and 291st motor rifle regiments spotted the Ukrainian armored column and called in Ka 52 attack helicopters. [11] The Ukrainian tank column came under anti-tank missile and small arms fire while attempting to cross a minefield outside of the village. [12] [13] Trapped under fire and taking losses, the column retreated. Crews bailed out of their disabled vehicles and dragged dead and wounded with them out of the battlefield. [2] Forbes reported that Ukrainian equipment loses were one IMR-2, a one Leopard 2A6 and as many as nine Bradleys with the some of their crews surviving. [8] The ISW reported that the Russian Ministry of Defense responded to the Ukrainian attack with an uncharacteristic degree of coherency and praised the 42nd Guards Motor Rifle Division, 70th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment and 291st Motor Rifle Regiment for repelling the Ukrainian attack and regaining lost positions. [9]

On 8 June, the 47th Mechanized Brigade attempted to use 6 Finnish donated Leopard 2R mine cleaning tanks, a German Wisent and an ex-Soviet BMR-2 to breach the Russian minefield but were forced to abandon 3 of the Leopard 2Rs and both the Wisent and the BMR-2 after one of the Leopard 2Rs struck a TM-62 anti tank mine and Russian helicopters and artillery hit the others vehicles. [14] 50% of the 47th Brigade’s engineer battalion became casualties however, Forbes reported that the unit was still intact citing a video that the battalion posted after the engagement showing a Leopard 2R, two Soviet-style armored tractors fitted with UR-77 rocket-propelled mine clearing charges and a German Wisent. [15]

On 9 June, Ukrainian forces launched a second mechanized assault capturing one height near the village. The assault group later came under artillery fire after being spotted by Russian drone operators and were forced to retreat. [16]

On 12 June, Aljazeera and Russian milbloggers reported that Russian forces counterattacked Ukrainian positions outside of Mala Tokmachka. [4]

On 15 June, Ukrainian Brigadier-General Oleksii Hromov told a media briefing that Ukrainian forces had advanced by up to 3 km (1.8 miles) near Mala Tokmachka. [17]

On 21 June, Ukrainian General Staff spokesperson Andriy Kovalev claimed that Ukrainian forces had made several gains around Mala Tokmachka. [18]

On 30 June 2023, the Institute for the Study of War reported that the lack of a major breakthrough by Ukrainian forces around Mala Tokmachka would lead to less attacks and the beginning of positional fighting. [19]

Aftermath

Forbes reported that the Battle of Mala Tokmachka was a military disaster for Ukraine with both the 33rd and 47th losing 15% of their soldiers killed or wounded and losing a fifth of Ukraine's M2 Bradleys, a fifth of its Leopard 2A6s and half its Leopard 2Rs with Russian forces in return only suffering light casualties. [2] Photographic evidence showed that at least 4 Leopard 2A6 tanks, 3 Leopard 2R demining tanks, 17 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, and 1 Wisent were destroyed. [20] The battle was also the first documented loss of a Leopard 2 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [21] [22] Chief master sergeant Valerii Markus of the 47th Mechanized Brigade told critics to "shut your mouths." [23] The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces claimed that 1,900 Russian soldiers died in and around Mala Tokmachka between June 8th and June 10th. [4] Some of the damaged vehicles were later recovered and repaired by Ukrainian forces. [24] [25] Ukrainian sources claimed that Russian forces were inflating Ukrainian equipment losses at Mala Tokmachka. [26] [27] Russian forces would later publish a video on 13 June showing 2 captured Leopard 2 tanks and multiple M2 Bradleys. [28] It was later reported that Russian forces quadrupled the depth of their defensive minefields, from 120 meters to 500 meters and also increased the density of mines within the expanded fields. [29] A Ukrainian veteran of the 47th Mechanized Brigade who lost his leg during the battle named Mykola Melnyk, criticized the leadership of the battle but praised the American donated M2 Bradleys during an interview saying: "The Bradley withstood everything". [30] [31] The defeat at Mala Tokmachka would result in Ukrainian commanders switching to dismounted infantry attacks rather than mechanized assaults in order to not risk more armored vehicles. [32] [33] This would result in lowered armor losses but higher infantry casualties. [34]

Notes

  1. ↑ Between June 8th and June 10th
  2. ↑ Between June 8th and June 9th

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References

  1. ↑ ""Наступали двумя волнами": командир рассказал об атаках на позиции 42-й дивизии на Ореховском направлении". МОО «Союз ветеранов спецназа ГРУ имени Героя Российской Федерации Шектаева Д.А.» (in Russian). 2023-07-11. Retrieved 2023-07-14.
  2. 1 2 3 Axe, David. "25 Tanks and Fighting Vehicles, Gone in a Blink: The Ukrainian Defeat Near Mala Tokmachka Was Worse Than We Thought". Forbes .
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  5. ↑ Nick Paton Walsh; Gallón, Natalie; Gak, Kosta; Rudden, Peter (8 May 2023). "Russian forces lash out indiscriminately as Ukraine increases military pressure on frontline towns". CNN .
  6. ↑ Mounier, Jean-Luc (13 June 2023). "'A large part of the Ukrainian counteroffensive hasn't been put into action yet'".
  7. ↑ Axe, David. "The Ukrainians Are Risking Their Best Leopard 2 And M-2 Vehicles Because The Prize—A Tokmak Breakthrough—Is Worth It". Forbes .
  8. 1 2 Axe, David. "The Ukrainian Army Lost Bradley Fighting Vehicles And A Leopard 2 Tank Trying And Failing To Breach Russian Defenses In Southern Ukraine". Forbes .
  9. 1 2 Hird, Karolina; Barros, George; Mappes, Grace; Wolkov, Nicole; Clark, Mason; Frederick W. Kagan. "Institute for the Study of War".
  10. ↑ Axe, David. "One of Ukraine's Meanest Mechanized Brigades Just Joined the Southern Counteroffensive". Forbes .
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  15. ↑ Axe, David. "The Ukrainian Battalion That Lost Half Its Leopard 2R Mineclearing Vehicles In A Russian Minefield? It's Still In The Fight". Forbes .
  16. ↑ "Frontline report: Ukrainians storm Russian positions in Zaporizhzhia direction, face resistance". Euromaidan Press . 9 June 2023.
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  19. ↑ Bailey, Riley; Mappes, Grace; Evans, Angelica; Barros, George; Frederick W. Kagan. "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, June 30, 2023". Institute for the Study of War.
  20. ↑ "Counteroffensive of the Armed Forces: Battle near Mala Tokmachka | Censor.NET".
  21. ↑ Axe, David. "The Russians Just Destroyed Their First Ukrainian Leopard 2 Tank". Forbes .
  22. ↑ Dangwal, Ashish (9 June 2023). "1st Documented Loss! Ukraine's Leopard-2 Battle Tank Destroyed as Russian Military Bombs Its Position".
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  26. ↑ Shandra, Alya (2023-06-10). "So how many Leopard tanks did Ukraine lose near Mala Tokmachka?". Euromaidan Press. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
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  28. ↑ "Russia releases video of captured German tanks, U.S. fighting vehicles in Ukraine | Reuters". 13 June 2023.
  29. ↑ Axe, David. "To Slow The Ukrainian Counteroffensive, the Russian Army Quadrupled The Size Of Its Minefields". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  30. ↑ Axe, David. "After Losing a Leg, One Ukrainian Army Officer Is Mad At His Commanders. But He's Not Mad at His American-Made M-2 Fighting Vehicle". Forbes .
  31. ↑ Кіртока, Віолетта. "Мельник Микола: Командир роти 47-ї бригади Микола Мельник: "Росіяни знали наші шляхи висування, і туди летіло все - і 152-ті, 120-ті, і "Гради"… | Цензор.НЕТ".
  32. ↑ "Why Ukraine's counteroffensive failed: WP analysis in 7 minutes". Euromaidan Press . 6 December 2023.
  33. ↑ Axe, David. "Disastrous Armored Assaults Taught The Ukrainian Army To Flank Russian Defenses Instead". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  34. ↑ Shandra, Alya (10 February 2024). "Syrskyi in, Zaluzhnyi out: What to expect from Ukraine's army reshuffle". Euromaidan Press .

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