Elements of the 3rd Battalion, 54th Mechanized Brigade conduct an assault under artillery and ATGM fire. The element shown in the video appears to be a reinforced mechanized infantry platoon or company minus led by a tank. During much of this lengthy video the unit advances along a series of narrow trails, and at the one minute, eleven second mark rounds begin to straddle the column. They shrug it off and continue. At the 3:30 mark the element is negotiating difficult terrain and again takes IDF, purportedly from a BM-21 Grad. The Ukrainian force eventually finds itself advance along a thin strand of trees, with the leading tank firing on the move as they take fire from Russian AT-4 Spigots, a wire-guided ATGM. The Ukrainian infantry dismount from their vehicles using the trees as cover while IDF continues to land in the vicinity.

The unit seemed to cover quite a distance to reach its assault position, curing which time they were vulnerable to enemy IDF. One would think that a road would be a designated as a target, perhaps by a battery of 152 mm guns in a linear sheaf, but while the Russians bracketed the trail their fires were not responsive and did not adjust quickly. They did seem to land some rounds close by as the Ukrainians negotiated some rough terrain at that hairpin turn, but it was not enough to stop the column. The ATGMs did pose a clear threat to the column, but their fire did not seem coordinated with IDF, although a round did land in the tree line after the Ukrainian crunchies dismounted. There is no information as to the objective of the assault or its outcome.

The K2 Battalion of the 54th Brigade posts content on their own YouTube channel, so please check out https://www.youtube.com/@k2_bat

About the Author

Cam

Cam served as an infantry officer in the Marine Corps, deploying to the Horn of Africa and participating in combat operations in Iraq. He currently works in the maritime industry and in the defense sector as an instructor of combined arms planning and operations. An avid sailor, Cam founded and directs a nonprofit that supports veterans and first responders through sailing.