While there is, of course, the question of an encroaching by NATO around Russian territory, in a more specific way, the war in Ukraine was started by the Russians over the fate of Russian-speaking populations in the Donbas region, comprised of the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts.
And the conquering of this region remains the number one military objective of this military operation, as Russian President Vladimir Putin once again reminded us a few days ago.
While Luhansk is already pretty much on Russian hands, the fight for Donetsk is still far from over.
But, a new report from The Economist alerts, ‘if you imagine that the front lines in Donbas are well-defined, you should think again’.
The Economist reported:
“For the past two months, Russia has poured most of those resources into attacking the logistical hub of Pokrovsk, just north-west of Kurakhove. The push advanced at an alarming rate, and even accelerated after Ukraine launched an operation inside Russia that was ostensibly designed to reduce the pressure.”
Once Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky sent reinforcements to the city and managed to stabilize the situation in this point of the front, the Russians regrouped and started applying pressure on the flanks trying to to encircle Ukrainian forces there and put them in a ‘boiler’.
Meanwhile, the attrition of Ukrainian defenders continues in a rapid pace.
“A reinforcement of inexperienced infantrymen sent from Ukraine’s 71st brigade were wiped out. ‘Over three days, 100 became zero. Some ran, some fell’.”
The Russians are concentrating on controlling the roads leading to Pokrovsk.
The logistics for Kiev’s troops are becoming harder: fuel trucks, supply vehicles and headquarters have been pushed back, ‘hiding from the tightening Russian noose’.
With the main road to Pokrovsk now cut, getting equipment such as mines or Javelin anti-tank rockets takes longer and longer.
And Russian artillery superiority still ranges from at least 3:1 up to 10:1 in some sections.
“Recently the Russian pressure has grown more insistent and wider, spanning a front from Pokrovsk to Vuhledar in the south. This, Ukrainian soldiers believe, is evidence their enemy has been reinforced with new reserves. The wide front gives the Russians more options to attack, says Mike Temper, the nom-de-guerre of a mortar-battery commander with the 21st battalion of Ukraine’s Separate Presidential Brigade. ‘They are using their numerical advantage to see gaps in our defense, and develop where they can’.”
Meanwhile, Russians also press their advantages in drones and electronic warfare.
“the Russian air force and artillery can react almost in real time; anything that moves and is not protected is destroyed. His tank drivers consequently now mostly work as static artillery units, operating from closed positions, and much farther back.”
But the problems are not exclusive to the frontline areas: all over the country, the support for the war has plummeted, and no one wants to fight anymore.
“The failure of Ukraine’s mobilization program exacerbated the problems. Oleksandr from the 79th reckons his brigade has already lost more soldiers in 2024 than in the previous 18 months.”
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