Ukrainian FPV drone operators inflicted heavy losses on Russian infantry advancing toward Kotlyne over open fields, while Russian forces endured severe supply shortages and relied on the VPS-2 mine for defensive positions during a 550-day confrontation.
Ukrainian FPV drone crews systematically eliminated Russian infantry assaulting Kotlyne across open terrain laced with wire obstacles, allowing only a handful of stormtroopers to reach the settlement's outskirts. The Russian garrison survived in desperate conditions with catastrophic logistics, rotating troops exclusively on foot from Selidove, 20 kilometers to the rear.
The defense stretched over 550 days beginning in January 2025, when Russian forces broke through from Novotroitske toward Pokrovsk's western flank before being halted by Ukrainian command decisions. The VPS-2 mine provided the Russians a fortified anchor, with persistent rumors of subterranean tunnel networks beneath it.
In spring 2025 Ukrainian units attempted a counteroffensive to push Russian positions back across the Solona River, but coordination failures limited gains to clearing Kotlyne itself and freezing the front line. Russian forces subsequently regained the initiative, blanketing the approaches with their own drones and incrementally displacing Ukrainian defenders position by position.
https://t.me/pacany_donbas/5867