Russia-Ukraine Flash Report for 6-3-22 12:30 PDT - The Destruction of the 35th CAA

In February of 2022, the 35th Combined Arms Army under the command of Lt. General Aleksandr Semyonovich Sanchik moved into Ukraine from Belarus. Three of the five brigades entered Ukraine. The 165th Artillery Brigade, the 38th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, and the 64th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade.

By the beginning of June, General Sanchik was critically wounded and no longer in the service of the Russian military, and the 35th and 64th had been obliterated.

As we watched NASA FIRMS indicate the forest west of Izyum was under almost constant artillery fire starting in late April, many wondered what was going on. There was additional puzzlement when the apparent artillery, MLRS, and SOF operations ended as quickly as they mysteriously began.

First, is the story of the 38th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade. The unit was located north of Kyiv, stationed near the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone during the failed Kyiv offensive. During the withdrawal, the unit was almost completely wiped out in early April near Poliske. Poliske is about 50 kilometers west of Pripyat and was on a primary Ground Line of Communication (GLOC - aka supply line) that connected to Belarus. Russia had set up a military base and field hospital at Kirov, Belarus, along the route.

The unit was withdrawn to be reconstituted and resupplied. In early May, with many of their contracts close to expiring, the surviving members of the 38th SGMRB refused to return to Ukraine. The unit was ultimately redeployed to Izyum.

The 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade earned the title of the Butchers of Bucha. The unit was on the tip of the spear of the advance toward Kyiv and was stopped cold at Bucha and Irpin. Over a period of a month, the unit looted, raped, tortured, and murdered hundreds of civilians. They left horror in their wake when the first evidence of their crimes emerged on the morning of April 1. Just days later, multiple nations pledged heavy weapons to Ukraine.

On April 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the brigade the honorary title of "Guards." The title is given to units for gallantry and success on the battlefield such as the 1st Guards Tank Army, which fought across the same fields in World War II against Germany.

Like the 38th, the 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade was sent to Izyum. The 64th was put into battle almost immediately. On April 22, the unit fought against the Ukrainian 93rd Mechanized Brigade and suffered heavy losses. Graphic videos and pictures emerged of the fighting.

Sometime in late April, the unit was attacked again, and it was reported almost 300 were killed. An extremely graphic video emerged showing dozens of bodies littered across a field on May 7. The trees don't match an early May timeline, so the losses were earlier - and possibly from a video recorded on April 22 that was released later.

Also on May 7, NASA FIRMS indicated there was heavy fighting west of Izyum over a large region. The area was sparsely populated, located in forests that cover hundreds of square kilometers. The data showed the entire region was being shelled, about the same time NATO M777 artillery pieces were arriving in Ukraine with troops trained to use the system.

The artillery barrage looking at NASA FIRMS lasted for close to two weeks. There were multiple reports of pontoon bridges being established by Ukrainian forces from April 25 to May 15, which were quickly destroyed by Russian forces. None of the pontoon bridges were involved in decisive battles or fighting and were destroyed while unused and unmanned.

Everyone believed something was happening, but it wasn't clear what - until today.

A report emerged from a member of the DNR who works on the GLOC from the Donbas to Izyum. Earlier in the week, he ran a load of supplies to where the 64th and 38th are stationed west of Izyum. Among the cargo, was a load of rain-soaked toilet paper.

The 38th and the 64th are destroyed. Of the estimated 2,500 to 3,000 troops that entered Ukraine in February, less than 200 are left. The numbers are even worse because the 38th was reconstituted before being moved back to Izyum.

The 64th and 38th were tasked with the defense of Izyum, in the western forests that were hit with artillery for weeks. Drones flew in the skies looking for their positions. NATO M777 shells with proximity fuses exploded over their heads, shattering the trees and raining hot metal and wooden shards at lethal speed.

The units had not built bunkers, but instead were relying on simple trenches. There weren't villages to occupy, farms to hide in, or resources to pull from. It was the Arden, it was the Hurtgen. As the shelling continued the 35th Army was shredded to pieces - literally. Infantry Fighting Vehicles were pierced by artillery, MLRS, and flying debris. The units begged for engineering equipment, but there was none in the Izyum area.  Russian military leaders raided area stores for shovels and distributed them. The report indicates there weren't even picks to dig through the roots of the forested area.

An entire army was destroyed. the western flank of Izyum is defended by 200ish completely defeated soldiers, and the Ukrainian artillery batteries have moved on into the Severodonetsk salient.

There is little information about the 165th Artillery Brigade. The unit was involved in the advance on Kyiv, and it is reported suffered heavy losses during the retreat. There have been no credible reports that the 165th has been redeployed into other areas of Ukraine. The unit may have been combined with another brigade, moved to reserves, or sent back to Russia. Video on April 5 showed the equipment of the 165th moving through Belarus. 

There may be the satisfaction that many members of the 64th SGMRB have been killed by Ukrainian forces. Regrettably, that means they will never see a day in court to answer for their crimes. The victims and the perpetrators are both gone.

It is hard to believe that in 2022 one of the largest and allegedly most prepared armies in the world could suffer the destruction of an entire army by design. Whether that was through incompetence or purposeful, we'll likely never know.

One hundred days later, the war continues.