The Russian invaders now have the initiative in military operations along the entire front line in Ukraine.
With the departure from Avdeevka of the Donetsk region, the problems of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the front did not end. The invaders took the offensive along the entire front line; it is on their side that the initiative is on their side. Analysts say this means the Russians now have the ability to choose when and where to launch offensive operations – as long as they retain the initiative.
The recession continues
After leaving Avdeevka, the Ukrainian Armed Forces also left the village of Lastochkino, located west of Avdeevka.
“There are difficult terrain conditions, a cascade of small reservoirs, and this qualifies as the stabilization of the defense line, its certain leveling. The enemy continues to try offensive actions in the direction of the village of Orlovka. Really he leads them from three directions, but they are unsuccessful, “said Dmitry Likhovy, spokesman of the operational-strategic group of Tavria troops.
The spokesman added that it is difficult to predict how the situation will change after leaving Lastochkino, but the Defense Forces are doing everything to destroy the invaders, who are advancing in larger attack groups and have an advantage in aviation and artillery.
Russian “military correspondents” also said that Russian troops completely captured Severnoye and another nearby village of Tonenkoye (north-west of Severnoye), and also entered the eastern outskirts of Orlovka. However, ISW found no visual evidence to support these claims. Fighting positions continued northwest of Avdeevka in the area of Novobakhmutovka, Stepnoy and Berdichev, southwest of Avdeevka in the area of Pervomaiskoye and Nevelskoye.
“Unfortunately, they attacked with strength. We try to hold, sometimes we try to use active defense,” said the deputy commander of the 3rd separate assault brigade (3OShBr) Maxim Zhorin.
Kupyansk direction
Geolocation footage published on February 26 indicates that the invaders advanced primarily east of Belogorovka (south of Kremennaya). Battle positions on the Kupyansk-Svatovo-Kremennaya line continued northeast of Kupyansk in the area of Sinkovka and Ivanovka; southeast of Kupyansk near Tabaevka; west of Kremennaya near Ternov; and south from Kremennaya near Belogorovka. The head of the regional administration of Lugansk, Artem Lysogor, said that in the direction of Kupyansk last month, Russian troops exceeded the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the amount of artillery ammunition “more than 10 times.”
Bakhmut
The invaders made minor advances west of Bakhmut, particularly northeast of Ivanovskoye (a village west of Bakhmut), as evidenced by geolocated footage published on February 25. “Correspondents also said of the Russian military” that Russian troops were advancing towards the center of Ivanovo from the east and continued fighting on the northern outskirts of the village. Fighting also continued for positions southwest of Bakhmut in the area of Kleschievka and Andreevka and south of Bakhmut in the area of Pivdenny.
Forecast
Russia does not have the strength and ability to knock out Ukraine and win, but Ukraine now has no chance to knock out Russia, believes Ben Hodges, an American general and former commander-in-chief of the US Army in Europe.
“Therefore, I think the task of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Alexander Syrsky, this year is to stabilize the situation on the ground so that Ukraine has the opportunity to increase its logistics, ammunition, weapons . , sustainability, both in terms of what it can do domestically on its own, but also in terms of Western countries providing more assistance,” Hodges said.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.