72nd Brigade may have begun withdrawal from Vuhledar: Forbes analyst

When Russian forces attacked the town’s flanks last week, the 72nd Mechanized Brigade, comprising 2,000 personnel equipped with T-64 tanks, BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, and M-109 howitzers, started a slow retreat to more defensible positions.

"I am under the impression that Ukraine withdrew their forces gradually over time to surrender the area to Russia," said Andrew Perpetua, an open-source intelligence analyst.

According to Axe, Vuhledar, which has become a fortress for Ukrainian forces, is now "on the verge of falling."

On the morning of Sept. 25, Russian forces shelled and stormed the settlement. Unlike many previous assaults, this one appeared to be successful.

"It’s clear that the situation in Vuhledar is critical, and we are likely witnessing the final stages of its defense,” warned an expert with the Ukrainian analysis group Frontelligence Insight.

“I can only hope that the right orders have been given, prioritizing the lives of soldiers over any desire to hold the ground."

Axe confirmed that there are signs of this, adding that Vuhledar "anchors the corner where the southern front meets the eastern front," but it is possible that Bohoyavlenka, located a few kilometers to the north, could serve the same function.

Since the full-scale Russian invasion began in 2022, the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade has been based in Bila Tserkva. Initially, the brigade moved to the Volnovakha area, but after the attack on Kyiv, parts of the brigade returned to defend the capital. In March 2022, the brigade's soldiers defended Kyiv city and Kyiv Oblast and participated in the liberation of Moshchun.

After defending Kyiv, the brigade spent several months performing tasks on the outskirts of Bakhmut and then participated in battles on the Kherson front and the liberation of the west bank of Kherson Oblast.

Analysts from the DeepState monitoring project reported on Sept. 24 that the situation around Vuhledar is critical and continues to deteriorate as the Russian army is attempting to encircle the town and simultaneously destroy the settlement with artillery and guided aerial bombs (KABs).

Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, reported that Vuhledar was previously advantageous for defense due to its elevated position, but the enemy managed to destroy it and move around its flank using KABs.