A sheepdog, padding the streets on his own, was the only sign of life in this destroyed village. Flames licked the rafters of the school and smoke poured out of a burning house several streets away after Russian artillery strikes earlier in the day.<\/p>\n
Amid the smoke and rubble, Pavlivka might seem like a dubious prize. But for the Ukrainian troops defending it last week, after recapturing it from Russian forces three weeks ago, it counted as a rare success when much of Ukraine, and the rest of the world, was transfixed by the fall of the last two cities in eastern Luhansk Province to overwhelming Russian firepower.<\/p>\n
In this small corner of the adjacent Donetsk Province, a self-assured mechanized brigade was bucking the trend.<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n A Ukrainian brigade surprised Russian forces by retaking the village of Pavlivka. It was a rare success in the east when much of Ukraine, and the rest of the world, was transfixed by the fall of the last two cities in Luhansk Province. https:\/\/t.co\/tGBV7EsdZi<\/a><\/p>\n — The New York Times (@nytimes) July 21, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n