we have seen Russia claim to have captured a Leopard before and at Rabotino some russian soldier inspected a bunch of Leopard

That had happened during the first week of the counteroffensive. In this case, many pages/channels got it wrong: this is not in Avdiivka (where there are no reported units operating Leopard 2A4s). It’s near Robotyne, specifically along the second forest belt west of T0408 Orikhiv-Tokmak Road, i.e. on the edge of the Ukrainian-held lines taken in early November, and it’s the work of soldiers of the Russian 42nd Motorized Division. The tank belongs to the Ukrainian 33rd Mechanized Brigade. In any case, the Russians have reported that the tank is heavily damaged inside.

The first wave of mechanized attacks on the first day (Oct. 10) was carried out by formations of the 1st Corps. In those days the formations of the Central Military District were still arriving from Svatove/Kreminna, according to the Ukrainians it was a Russian strategy in order not to let the formers notice a buildup of Russian units in the Avdiivka sector. On the north-eastern flank the 114th Motorized Brigade attacked in the Terrikon area and towards the Avdiivka-Pokrovsk railway from Krasnohorivka (supported, on the infantry side, by smaller units of the 1st Corps, regiments of the Territorial Forces and the “Yugra” Battalion). On the southern flank, the 9th “Marine” Brigade attacked from Vodyane and the 1st Motorized Brigade from Opytne, supported by smaller units of the 1st Corps and regiments of the Territorial Forces (including the 504th Tank Regiment).

From the following days, the first units of the Central Military District began to enter the scene, particularly the 2nd CAA in the north-east flank. Both the 15th and 21st Motorized Brigades were deployed in the direction of Stepove and the Coke Plant, respectively. In particular, the BTR-82As massacre on Oct. 19 involved the 15th Motorized Brigade. Late October also saw the arrival of the 239th Tank Regiment of the 90th Tank Division, which was involved in some limited actions. The last maneuver brigade of the 2nd CAA (the 30th Motorized Brigade) began to be fully employed in late November, and as we speak it’s pushing towards Stepove. The 15th Motorized Brigade together with the elements of the 132nd Motorized Brigade (this one from the 1st Corps) are fighting in the direction of Novokalynove while the 21st Motorized Brigade in the direction of the Avdiivka sand quarry. The (considerably weakened) 114th Motorized Brigade is fighting near the Coke Plant. At the beginning of December the Russians transferred as a reserve to this flank the 9th Motorized Regiment of the 18th Motorized Division of the 11th Corps of the Baltic Fleet, brought here from the northern flank of Bakhmut.

In the southern flank the Russians introduced the 41st CAA in the days following Oct. 10: the 55th Mountain Brigade has been active in the Opytne/Spartak area ever since. Since late October elements of the 35th Motorized Brigade have entered the scene in the Vodyane area. There’s certainly also the 74th Motorized Brigade just in the rear (so far it has seen some limited action) and perhaps other elements of the 90th Tank Division. Along with numerous smaller units of the 1st Corps. There is also the 24th Spetsnaz GRU Brigade, which operates Lancets.

In the area of the Avdiivka industrial zone, also called Promka (which saw no mechanized attacks, with the tanks used as assault guns), from the first days of the offensive the 6th Motorized Division of the 3rd Corps became active together with units of the 1st Corps such as the “Pyatnashka” Battalion and the 87th Motorized Regiment. To support the attacks in this area the Russians transferred several assault and reconnaissance brigades of the “Cossack Volunteer Assault Corps” such as “Hispaniola”, “Veterany”, and probably “Convoy” (the BARS-11 detachment became a battalion of the latter). They are all former PMCs linked to Redut, in fact reinforced battalions and not brigades.

The losses are plentiful and the progress in both flanks has been very limited. I think they will have to bring in new units soon. Most likely, first and foremost, the rest of the 90th Tank Division.

The brigades and the smaller units of the 1st Corps were all already deployed around Avdiivka. Basically since always. Since April 2023 they had severely limited mechanized attacks and the fighting was mostly at the infantry level. In the previous weeks they suffered losses during probing attacks in the sector.

The 2nd CAA was in the Svatove sector. It was the main force involved in the Raihorodka/Kovalivka offensive between July and August, with little success and few mechanized actions (until the initiative passed to the 3rd Motorized Division of the 20th CAA).

The 41st CAA was in the Kreminna sector, along with its 90th Tank Division. At the mechanized level there is little to report afaik. Their armour was employed as fire support in areas such as the Serebrianka Forest and they carried out some small-scale attacks in the Torske/Yampolivka area.

At the level of formations, all were employed in the previous period. Then maybe several units of them at any given time (like a battalion in a brigade) were in the rear replenishing losses and training. I would not say that any of these formations had a history in successful mechanized attacks. The actions of the Central Military District between Chernihiv and Kyiv were a disaster; the 41st CAA bears the indelible signature of the failed crossing of the Siversky Donets near Bilohorivka. The 90th Tank Division did some decent armored action IIRC (acting mainly as fire/armored support to the VDV) during the spring 2022 Donbas offensive but that’s it. The formations of the 1st Corps don’t have their own tradition of mechanized attacks on the other hand. Most of their heavy equipment was handed over to them in early 2023. They had partaken in mechanized attacks in the past, without particular success.

In any case, they are all “old” formations with their own officer cadre. Although, in particular in the first part of 2023, they received a lot of new equipment and new recruits.

I have no evidence that there was any specific training. It’s possible that the brigade’s mechanized units rehearsed the assault in the rear… But I don’t know about this. We should never take anything for granted with them, I guess. Even the fact that the 114th Motorized Brigade received a batch of BTR-50s speaks clearly that the Russian command doesn’t hold the brigade in high regard.

On the north-eastern flank, at least a couple of T-80BVMs were lost during the early days of the offensive, which per WarSpotting belonged to the 15th Motorized Brigade (2nd CAA, CMD). A T-90M from the 239th Tank Regiment of the 90th Tank Division was lost in mid-November. Earlier this month, several BMP-3s were lost, probably belonging to a unit of the Central Military District.

The standard equipment of the 1st Corps are T-64BV, T-72B(3) and T-80BV as MBTs and generally BMP-1s as IFVs. The Central Military District deploys the last two of the aforementioned types of tanks and generally BMP-2 and BTR-82A as IFVs (but for example they also have BMP-1s, it’s not so linear). In any case, the 1st and 2nd Corps, compared to the average of the Russian Army, have usually the worst equipment. For reasons, generally the formations of the Eastern Military District also tend to have worse equipment than others (except the brigades of the Pacific Fleet). Certain CAAs (such as the 6th of the WMD and the 49th of the SMD) are generally equipped considerably worse than the average of their own military districts. The 41st CAA of the CMD at the beginning of the war was badly equipped, fielding T-72A/Bs and BMP-1s in several units even before the invasion of Ukraine. During the war it received several T-90Ms among others, though.