The evacuation of injured soldiers from Vuhledar was complicated, as the Russian forces pressured from the flanks. However, the exit from the city allowed for losses to be minimized as much as possible.
This was reported by the press officer of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine named after the Black Zaporizhians, Arseniy Prylipka, in a comment to Radio Svoboda.
"The wounded were evacuated, and the conditions were very difficult because the enemy was pressing from the flanks, which complicated logistics significantly. The priority was to evacuate our servicemen from Vuhledar, from positions that were to the right and left of it... But thanks to the fact that we withdrew to another line and occupied it, we minimized losses as much as possible. Because holding the city further would have been critically difficult for our units, and we would have incurred greater losses," Prylipka explained.
In particular, he mentioned that decisions regarding withdrawal are made by command or depending on circumstances.
"In the military, everything is done by order, by command. Accordingly, it follows the hierarchy. The higher command knows the situation and acts accordingly. Then the brigade commander makes the decision," he added.
According to Prylipka, the process of withdrawal determines how it will take place and which routes will be used. The Russian forces, for its part, does not wait for the military to find the most optimal withdrawal path and continues to strike and complicate logistics.
"It is very easy to comment and blame the command for making certain decisions without being at the command post and without possessing the situation and information that the brigade commander has," the press officer noted.
Vuhledar is a city located in the Volnovakha district of the Donetsk region, approximately 57 km from Donetsk. Defensive operations have been ongoing here for two years.
