The Pontoon Trap on the Siverskyi Donets

Between May 8 and May 13, 2022, the Russian military command attempted a high-risk forced crossing of the Siverskyi Donets river near Bilohorivka in Luhansk region to encircle Ukrainian defenders in Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk.

The operation turned into one of the single most catastrophic tactical defeats suffered by the Russian Armed Forces in the entire war, resulting in the annihilation of multiple Battalion Tactical Groups (BTGs) from the 74th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade (Unit 21005).

Minute-by-Minute Destruction of 74th Brigade

Ukrainian reconnaissance drone operators spotted Russian pontoon bridging units assembling across the narrow bend of the river. As Russian armor congested on the riverbanks amidst heavy smoke screens, Ukrainian artillery (17th Tank Brigade and 80th Air Assault Brigade) opened concentrated fire:

• Over 100 combat vehicles destroyed or submerged, including T-72B3 tanks, BMP-1/2s, BTR-80s, and armored tugboats;

• Russian personnel losses exceeded 800 killed and wounded in less than 72 hours, with entire companies trapped on the opposing bank and eliminated;

• Geolocation verified by CNN, Reuters, and open-source OSINT researchers confirmed that Russian commanders attempted to cross at the exact same pre-sighted coordinates four times consecutively.