Russia has a new target and hopes to capture it soon
Russia has its eyes on a new prize in Ukraine and Moscow is hoping that it can capture it within weeks according to Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi. Here’s what the Russian Armed Forces are after.
Moscow wants to take the eastern settlement of Chasiv Yar before Russian Victory Day on May 9th. This timeline is possible according to Syrskyi, who explained in a Telegram post the situation in the east was “significantly worsened.”
Reuters reported on Syrskyi’s comments and provided some background details about where Chasiv Yar is located on the frontline. The settlement lies just to the west of the city of Bakhmut, which Russia captured back in May 2023.
Syrskyi warned that the situation in the east was deteriorating and that Russia planned to take Chasiv Yar before moving on to Kramatorsk. However, Ukrainian brigades have so far held off the Russian advance and have been reinforced.
"The enemy's plans are being hampered by the heroic defense of our brigades, who have literally dug themselves into the ground, holding off the enemy's daily attacks," Syrskyi explained according to a translation from The Kyiv Independent.
Russian military leadership allegedly tasked their soldiers with capturing Chasiv Yar by May 9th, which Syrskyi noted was the threat that remained relevant. Whether or not Russia can achieve its goal has yet to be seen, but things aren’t good.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umierov recently revealed that Russian forces were concentrating ahead of a breakthrough attempt in the east. Umierov called the unfolding situation tense in an April 15th Facebook post.
“I have been visiting combat units on the Eastern front. The situation is tense. The enemy is attempting to advance towards the Defence Forces’ positions, concentrating [forces] for a breakthrough west of Bakhmut,” Umierov said according to Ukrainska Pravda.
“Despite the Russians’ numerical advantage, we are efficiently disrupting these plans thanks to the courage, training and professionalism of the defenders, who are making good use of advanced technological systems, ” Umierov added.
It is unclear as of yet if Russia's alleged breakthrough attempt will occur at Chasiv Yar but capturing the city as part of a larger offensive to break Ukrainian lines in the east would make sense. Chasiv Yar is strategically important.
This will likely be an important battle. Chasiv Yar is located on defensible high ground,” explained Rob Lee—a senior fellow at the Philadelphia-based think tank Foreign Policy Research Institute—in an April 12th Twitter post on Chisiv Yar’s importance.
“If Russia takes the city, they could potentially increase the rate of advance deeper into Donetsk Oblast as part of an expected summer offensive,” Lee continued, adding that Russian forces were making advances towards the settlement.
“Russian forces will still have to cross the canal to take the city, but they have now reached the canal southeast of the city. Immediate increased deliveries of ammunition could prove critical,” Lee added.
The Institute for the Study of War also noted that Chasiv Yar was an important city for Moscow because its capture would allow Russian forces to begin directly attacking a string of southern fortress cities in Ukraine's defensive belt.
“Russian forces could launch subsequent offensive operations directly on Druzhkivka or Kostyantynivka after some period of rest and replenishment following the possible seizure of Chasiv Yar,” the institute reported in an April 13th war update.
Druzhkivka and Kostyantynivka being threatened would be “very operationally significant” according to ISW analysts since both fortress cities “help form the backbone of the Ukrainian defense in Donetsk Oblast and of eastern Ukraine in general.”
The capture of Chasiv Yar would open up a lot of avenues for attack and exacerbate the problem Ukraine is facing in the east at a time when it is running low on ammunition and other supplies. It could also prove to be a major political win for Moscow as well if taken before Victory Day.
'Others...' 카테고리의 다른 글
| ‘정권 심판’보다 ‘국회 심판’이 먼저다 (0) | 2024.04.20 |
|---|---|
| 누릴 거 다 누리고 깨어있는 척… ‘진보 중년’ (0) | 2024.04.19 |
| 한국은 3광(狂) 1무(無) 1유(有)의 나라/3가지에 미쳐있고 한가지는 없고 한가지만... (0) | 2024.04.16 |
| 상식이 사라진 사회 (0) | 2024.04.14 |
| “3050이 이렇게 투표할 줄, 내 20년 전에 알고 있었다” (0) | 2024.04.12 |