“They dragged it out to the last, at the cost of the guys’ lives”: Ukrainian soldiers spoke about the retreat from Vuhledar

Soldiers of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) spoke about the chaotic retreat from Vuhledar. According to them, units left the city without waiting for an official order to withdraw.

They shared the details of their retreat with a BBC correspondent.

One of the two interviewees, a machine gunner, said that in the last few days, Ukrainian soldiers had to leave Vuhledar on foot by themselves. The second interviewee, Roman, mentioned that during their attempts to escape the city, many were killed or wounded by Russian drones and artillery, and many are now considered missing.

In late September, Russian forces were able to approach the last remaining road connecting Vuhledar to the rear, to the village of Bohoyavlenka, from the west, putting the garrison in a partial encirclement. Russian drones and artillery targeted everything moving along this road.

“They tried to deliver supplies and sent evacuation crews to remove the dead and wounded, but it was unsuccessful. We lost several vehicles, and then decided to stop trying,” Roman explained.

When the Russians entered the city, Ukrainian units began to retreat without waiting for an order.

“When the retreat is not organized, chaos ensues—it’s a natural rule of war,” said the machine gunner.

He added that some groups became disoriented because they lost radio communication and had to make quick independent decisions, which often resulted in retreating.

Roman explained that their fortified positions were destroyed by Russian bombs, shells, and missiles, and in such a situation, withdrawing from their positions was inevitable.

“How do you fight when you’re left alone at a position, and everything is raining down on you? Either you die or you retreat,” Roman clarified.

However, escaping from the nearly surrounded city was extremely dangerous, he said. Attempting to leave during the day was akin to a suicide mission.

Most Ukrainian soldiers tried to leave at night, crossing minefields by following marked paths to avoid the road to Bohoyavlenka, which was under constant fire.

“Until recently, evacuation vehicles could drive in under the cover of darkness with their headlights off. But once Russian troops reached the city center, the only way to escape was on foot,” Roman said.

The soldiers criticized the command for delaying the order to retreat from the city, even when it became clear that the city was effectively encircled and impossible to hold.

“I don’t know what it was: commanders’ fear of higher-ups or a direct order from the top to hold out until the last, at the cost of the lives of regular guys. It’s unclear to all of us,” the machine gunner admitted.

Today, the UAF officially confirmed the loss of Vuhledar. Until now, the Ukrainian General Staff had simply chosen not to mention the situation in the city in its reports, even though most military channels and the Russian side had confirmed that the UAF had lost Vuhledar.