When Russian forces attacked the town’s flanks last week, the 72nd Mechanized Brigade, comprising 2,000 personnel equipped with T-64 tanks, BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, and M-109 howitzers, started a slow retreat to more defensible positions. Read also: Russian forces attempt to encircle Vuhledar, bombarding the city “I am under the impression that Ukraine withdrew their forces gradually over time to surrender the area to Russia,” said Andrew Perpetua, an open-source intelligence analyst. According to Axe, Vuhledar, which has become a fortress for Ukrainian forces, is now “on the verge of…