Clément Molin Profile picture
Oct 14 16 tweets 6 min read Read on X
For the first time in months, Russia 🇷🇺 launched tanks and armoured vehicles in Ukraine 🇺🇦

2 years after the large scale Avdiivka offensive, russian forces tried to storm the Pokrovsk-Kostiantynivka area of the frontline, losing around 30 armoured vehicles.

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The main use of tanks, IFV and AFV was during the Avdiivka-Donestk offensive, mainly between october 2023 and may 2024.

Then, it was slowly abandonned. Since the first months of 2025, the use of armoured vehicles nearly disappeared. Image
Why ?

Because Russia was slowly lacking reserves in armoured vehicles and drone warfare was making their use more and more dangerous.

Most of them have been put away from the front during months and endured some changes. Image
Now that the summer is finishing, the roads are getting more and more muddy.

It is thus impossible to do assaults with motorcycles and ladas while assaulting on foots without cover is increasingly dangerous. This is the main reason for this come back.
On these long videos published by ukrainian forces we can see columns of armoured vehicles and tanks assaulting ukrainian positions near Pokrovsk.

For 2 months, russians have had difficulties to reach Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka, mainly failing to take strongholds.
One of the assaults was trying to reach Myrnohrad, especially taking control over the mine west of the city, a ukrainian stronghold. They lost 4 vehicles here. Image
Another axis was the Kostiantynivka-Pokrovsk highway. In this area, multiple russian columns have been destroyed in the previous months, one of the only one where they continued to send tanks and armoured vehicles. Image
However, the main assaulted direction is the village of Shakove, a ukrainian stronghold.

Russia launched multiple armoured vehicles, hundreds of soldiers and motorcycles here to break the ukrainian defenses. Shakove is protecting the whole direction. Image
Despite multiple assaults on Volodymyrivka, just south of Shakove, the russians still didn't managed to take it.

Now, it is mainly a grey zone and tens of soldiers have been brought here, they will probably try to gain a strong foothold here and in Shakove. Image
Using armoured vehicles is somewhat new this year, it is also the result of months of reinforcements.

At 0:25 there is an interesting footage. You can see that the ditch forces the BTR to use the road, which has been mined. That's how dtches should be used.
The importance of fortifications : to reach Shakove from the main assault route, they need to stay on this road (because of the 6 anti-tank obstacles).

-> it concentrates the ukrainian fire on a single road. Image
And it's exactly the same with infantry and barbed wire :

They need to walk in the only zones where there are no barbed wire. Here, we can see a recent picture and a 1 month old one (Novotoretsk'e). Image
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What is happening near Pokrovsk ?

The grey zone is increasingly big, it is getting more and more difficult to consolidate any progress. Pokrovsk is still safe, fightings are ongoing in Rodynske and Udachne, while some infiltrations are ongoing in the south of the city. Image
The main objectif for russian forces now is to expand the Dobropilla bridgehead, by taking Shakove. Then, they will be able to connect again with their isolated troops north-west.

They will also try to consolidate gains near Myrnohrad. Image
In one month, the tree cover will have disapeared, preventing infantry infiltration. The weather may affect drones, which is also important to remember.

Thus, Russia has to reach (and consolidate around) Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka before the winter to assault it.
I finish this thread with the wide preparation of new defensive lines, especially away from Donbass region.

Main new lines :

-Pavlohrad-Novomykholaivka
-Vilniansk-Zaporijia
-3rd Donbass line (behind Kramatorsk) Image

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More from @clement_molin

Dec 6
Pourquoi la RD Congo 🇨🇩, le Rwanda 🇷🇼, le Burundi 🇧🇮 et l'Ouganda 🇺🇬 sont ils tous en guerre dans l'est du Congo ?

Depuis 1994, les trois Etats organisent ensemble le pillage des ressources minières congolaise, changeant régulièrement d'alliance, CARTE :

🧵THREAD🧵1/25 ⬇️Image
Le principal Etat impliqué est le Rwanda. Mais pourquoi est-il en guerre dans l'est du Congo ?

Lors de la guerre entre le FPR (tutsis) et l'Etat Rwandais (Hutu) entre 1990-1994, le FPR est soutenu et armé par l'Ouganda 🇺🇬, la Grande Bretagne 🇬🇧 et les Etats-Unis 🇺🇸 Image
Battant les forces armées rwandaises (hutus) pendant le génocide, le FPR prend le pouvoir, avec à sa tête Paul Kagame.

Il devient dès lors la vitrine anglo-saxone en Afrique, recevant armes et financements. Les USA organisent via le Rwanda la chute du dictateur Mobutu au Zaïre. Image
Read 25 tweets
Nov 28
The use of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs): the new revolution in the Ukrainian 🇺🇦 war.

Replacing infantry, UGVs fulfill several roles: combat support, troop evacuation, mine-laying, or logistics...

The revolution of ground drones in Ukraine 🇺🇦/🇷🇺 :

🧵THREAD🧵1/17⬇️Image
Like images from the future, ground drones are becoming increasingly visible on the ground in Ukraine.

While the arrival of aerial drones and their variants, as well as naval drones, has been well covered, the arrival of ground drones has been almost forgotten.
Multiple videos from the last few weeks are showing a wider use of ground drones for various missions.

Even if they are often targeter by aerial drones, they are still being very useful.
Read 17 tweets
Nov 27
« La Russie n'est pas mon ennemie… 🇫🇷🇷🇺 »

📸Tchasiv Yar, Ukraine 🇺🇦

🧵1/25 ⬇️Image
📸Vovchansk Image
📸Marioupol Image
Read 25 tweets
Nov 26
Les fortifications peuvent-elles changer le cours de la guerre en faveur de l'Ukraine 🇺🇦 ?

Malgré un manque cruel d'infanterie pour les occuper, les obstacles ukrainiens sont de plus en plus nombreux et conséquents, ralentissant la progression russe 🇷🇺

🧵THREAD🧵1/23 ⬇️Image
Cela fait plus de 3 ans que j'analyse régulièrement la question des lignes de défense en Ukraine.

J'ai cartographié la quasi-totalité de ces défenses, analysé leurs résultats, leurs échecs et les récentes évolutions. Image
D'abord avec cette carte, vous pouvez voir en rouge les fortifications creusées en 2025 et en vert le territoire pris par l'armée russe la même année.

Pour la première fois, nous allons le voir, ces fortifications sont continues, bien préparées et nombreuses. Image
Read 24 tweets
Nov 25
We often talk about russian 🇷🇺 losses but little about ukrainian 🇺🇦 ones

Holding into Myrnohrad and continuing to send troops inside Pokrovsk has proven to be very costly.

A small update on Pokrovsk, the strategic front and "peace talks" :

🧵THREAD🧵1/12 ⬇️
Russian soldiers have been seen throughout the city of Pokrovsk for 1 month and half.

According to my research, they still control the majority of the city and are continuing their consolidation. The area south of the railway is +/- under Russian control. (old map) Image
The main area of ​​interest is further east. As the video in the first tweet shows, dozens of Ukrainian armored vehicles and pickup trucks were destroyed on the Rodynske-Myrnohrad road. In Myrnohrad, the Ukrainians still control most of the city. Image
Read 12 tweets
Nov 23
Poland 🇵🇱 started the construction of part of its "eastern shield" on the border with Kaliningrad 🇷🇺.

After 4 years of war in Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic states are however barely starting to prepare defensive lines on their eastern borders...

🧵THREAD🧵1/10 ⬇️ Image
It should already be a reality, it is however still a plan.

After announcing they would prepare fortifications on their eastern border, Poland, the Baltic countries and Finland barely started to build them. The area is only covered by anti-migrants barricades. Image
For now, I only found 3 small areas where we can see fortifications, all in Poland, on the border with Kaliningrad, a Russia oblast.

On the eastern border of the EU, we can only see preparations for fortifications and road blocks on the borders. Image
Read 10 tweets

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