The conquest of Voznesensk would have opened a route to Russia for the million-city city of Odessa, thus facilitating the conquest of southern Ukraine.
The rural town of Voznesensk is located in the southern part of Ukraine, 128 kilometers north of Odessa.
Russian forces attacked Voznesensk on the second day of March with the intention of opening a route to Odessa and a nearby nuclear power plant.
However, the inhabitants of the 34,000-strong rural city rose up in resistance and prevented the Russians from advancing.
The victory in combat is considered one of the most significant of the war to date.
“We used hunting rifles and people threw bricks”
Many have fled the fighting, but the city is still home to thousands of Ukrainians. One of them is the mayor Yevgeny Velitshko.
– It’s hard to explain how we did it. We can thank the townspeople for their fighting spirit as well as the Ukrainian army, he said in an interview with the BBC.
According to the mayor, Voznesensk is so important for the progress of the war that the townspeople feel that they are defending the whole of Ukraine.
And they don’t even have decent weapons.
One of those involved in the fighting was a local merchant Alexander.
– It was a huge effort from all the townspeople. We used hunting rifles, people threw bricks, old women filled sandbags. The Russians did not know where to look. I’ve never seen a city so unified, he said.
Help with anti-tank missiles from Britain
The devastation of the battle is visible everywhere in Voznesensk. A total of 30 Russian tanks are lying destroyed on the streets.
There are also destroyed armored vehicles as well as military helicopters.
Brick alone has not destroyed this equipment.
The fighters were assisted by NLAW anti-tank missiles from Britain. They are third-generation shoulder-fired missiles used by Finland and Sweden in addition to Britain.