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Russia Sends Elite FSB Presidential Regiment to Chasiv Yar to Break Ukrainian Defenses

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Photo of Vlad Litnarovych
Vlad Litnarovych
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Russia Sends Elite FSB Presidential Regiment to Chasiv Yar to Break Ukrainian Defenses
Illustrative image. Soldiers of the Presidential Regiment take part in a ceremony of the Changing of the Guard at the Sobornaya (Cathedral) Square of the Kremlin in Moscow on May 29, 2021. (Source: Getty Images)

Russia has brought in a special regiment of elite FSB forces to the front line near Chasiv Yar as its regular troops continue to face setbacks in the battle for the strategically important eastern Ukrainian city, a Ukrainian military spokesperson stated, Suspilne. Donbas reported on May 11.

“The 98th Airborne Division is positioned opposite us—this is a very strong enemy. And in recent weeks, a new force has been added that significantly bolsters them. This is the separate FSB Presidential Regiment. These are top-level specialists. We’re now facing extremely intense combat and highly precise, deliberate actions,” said Ivan Petrychak, spokesperson for the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade.

According to Petrychak, Russian forces have failed for weeks to make meaningful progress on the Chasiv Yar axis and continue their attempts to seize the city despite their stalled offensive.

Even during a supposed ceasefire proposed by Moscow, Russian troops continued launching assaults using artillery and drones.

“There was no talk of any ceasefire, at least not on our section of the front. These past three days have been no different from the previous months,” he said.

He noted that Russian tactics continue to evolve but have so far failed to break through Ukrainian defenses, prompting Moscow to deploy one of its most combat-ready units to the area.

“The Russians are struggling to take Chasiv Yar, so they were forced to bring in their most capable forces for urban combat,” Petrychak said.

Earlier, reports emerged that the majority of Russian special forces operatives from the Kremlin-backed “Akhmat ” unit are recovering in military hospitals after suffering serious lung damage during a high-profile mission in Ukraine’s controlled parts of the Kursk region.

Lieutenant General Apti Alaudinov, commander of the Chechen-led “Akhmat” forces and deputy chief of the Russian military’s Main Political Directorate, told Russian state media outlet TASS that most members of the “Aida” detachment are still undergoing treatment.

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The Akhmat Special Rapid Reaction Squad is a unit of the Russian Federal Guard, actually subordinated personally to the head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov. The unit was created in 2009 to fight supporters of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. Novaya Gazeta journalists have noted in investigations that Akhmat has been involved in kidnappings, torture and extrajudicial executions, and the unit is home to at least one secret prison. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Akhmat was ironically referred to as “tiktok-voyska” because its fighters did not participate in combat operations but filmed videos in the rear in which they simulated a fierce confrontation with the Ukrainian Armed Forces.