Ukrainian brigade denies responsibility for the fall of Ocheretyne
The 115th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has refuted the claim by DeepState founder Roman Pohorilyi that the "collapse of defense in the Ocheretyne area" is the fault of the 115th, the unit’s press service said in a Facebook post on May 2.
DeepState is a Ukrainian military open-source intelligence (OSINT) project, focused on updating an online map of the battlefield in Ukraine to reflect the actual status of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
The brigade pointed out that only a special commission has the authority to make conclusions on the matter.
“The accusations by Roman Pohorilyi are false,” the 115th said in the message.
“The determination of who is to blame or not is exclusively the role of a commission following an investigation.”
The brigade also warned that Pohorilyi’s statements had been picked up by a number of Russian propagandists. They falsely report that the 115th Brigade "unexpectedly abandoned their positions and fled."
Read also: DeepState analyst blames 115th Brigade command for Ocheretyne frontline breach and losses
Additionally, the unit explained that they had occupied a defensive line extending from Ocheretyne to Keramik. In this area, Russian forces had been carrying out 20 to 30 strikes daily using guided bombs, mortars, artillery, and other weapons. In these attacks, a number of Ukrainian positions were destroyed along with the troops manning them.
“However, all soldiers of the 115th Brigade in those positions did not flee,” the statement continues.
“They engaged in combat with the enemy, who outnumbered us by 10 to 15 times, defending every meter of Ukrainian soil. This allowed them to hold the enemy at bay, enabling the brigade to establish itself in more advantageous positions on the outskirts of Ocheretyne, protect the settlement, and allow another fresh brigade to join the battle, which replaced the 115th Separate Mechanized Brigade to continue the defense of Ocheretyne.”
The brigade stressed that not a single fireteam of the 115th Brigade left their positions or fled; they held the defense to the last.
A special commission is already conducting an official investigation into the battle for Ocheretyne.
Read also: Military officials name the hottest point on the front in eastern Ukraine
On April 24, DeepState posted an analysis of the battle for Ocheretyne.
“The leadership of the 115th Separate Mechanized Brigade is responsible for the defense collapse across the entire sector, incurring significant losses with soldiers killed, wounded, and missing in action,” the report said.
In a later interview with NV Radio, Pohorilyi claimed that DeepState’s information about the 115th Brigade was based on accounts from other military personnel and those who had fought in that area.
“It is a critical situation that needs attention; from our side, our team emphasized the need to investigate and find answers to the questions that arose while the brigade was in those positions,” Pohorilyi said on April 27.
“After all, you can't hide anymore — there are comments, in particular from soldiers of other units and adjacent brigades, which were stationed nearby. They note that these cases were systematic: abandonment of positions, some strange actions. And strange actions did occur in the area of Ocheretyne.”
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
