According to Forbes, the 72nd Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) has begun a retreat from Vugledar amid the escalation of hostilities and the critical situation in the region. Analysts note that the defense of the city is approaching its final stages, and the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces to Bogoyavlenka is possible.
Earlier, People's Deputy Maryana Bezugla predicted the future loss of Vugledar. In particular, the People's Deputy indicated that the removal of the 72nd brigade commander, Syrsky, created chaos in the unit.
It is noteworthy that military publications write that the commander-in-chief's decision really provoked discontent among the soldiers. The dismissal of Ivan Vynnyk "reduced the combat capability of the unit.".
Military observer Denis Popovich writes that the Russians are advancing from the west and simultaneously from the northeast:
"And the two sides of this vice are now closing. That is, this is not a semi-encirclement, there is a threat of physical encirclement, not operational. I don't think that fighting will develop in the city.".
The enemy, Popovich says, has established itself on the outskirts. In his opinion, this is unpleasant, but it is not the determining factor.
“It is precisely this movement from the east and west that is the most dangerous and most decisive factor, which will obviously lead to the withdrawal of our units from Vugledar in order to prevent this encirclement from occurring. <…> I don’t know if hours determine the duration of Vugledar’s stay under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but days – this assessment is correct. Although, perhaps, hours. That is, the situation there is rapidly deteriorating.”.
