Ukraine is fighting a fierce battle to contain Russia's onslaught, finding itself in its most dangerous position since the start of the war, writes the American publication The New York Times .
The Russians want to regain previously lost territories during the Ukrainian Armed Forces' counteroffensives in 2022 and 2023.
On Saturday, they captured Avdiivka, their biggest combat achievement since the capture of Bakhmut in May of last year.
“Along the entire 1,000-km front, Ukraine is running out of ammunition without the resumption of American military aid, and it is also struggling to replenish its own depleted forces after two years of brutal fighting,” the authors of the article point out.
The Russian offensive is now divided into five main directions, covering cities and towns across most of the front in eastern and southern Ukraine: Avdiivka, Maryina, Robotyn, Kreminka, and Bakhmut.
Avdiivka
Russia has captured this Ukrainian fortress, which for many years undermined Russia's most important logistical arteries, writes the NYT. And it reminds us that the destroyed city covers an area of only about 19 square kilometers and is located a few kilometers from occupied Donetsk.
“It is unclear how far the Russians will be able to advance beyond Avdiivka , or how well the Ukrainians have built their defense lines,” the authors of the article speculate, “but the next major settlements, home to tens of thousands of civilians, are located just 50 km to the west.”
The publication indicates that about 50,000 Russian soldiers participated in the battles for Avdiivka. Tens of thousands of Russians were killed or wounded, but Russia is steadily replenishing its ranks, including with the help of convicts.
According to the publication, even if the front lines stabilize after the capture of Avdiivka, its fall will allow the Russians to more effectively transfer troops and equipment.
Marinka
PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES
Last month, Russian forces captured Maryinka, another Ukrainian frontline town. And it now serves as a base for Russian attacks, the NYT writes.
“After two years of Russian bombing and fighting, very little remained of Maryinka. But the capture of this city allowed the Russians to shift their attention to the south and another vital Ukrainian stronghold – Vugledar,” the authors of the article indicate.
Last year, Russian forces repeatedly attempted to attack Vugledar from the south and suffered catastrophic losses, including a crushing defeat in one of the largest tank battles of the war.
But since Maryinka is under Russian control, they are attacking Vugledar from the north. They are now advancing through the village of Novomykhailivka, the journalists write.
Ukrainian officials have said Russia is holding about 40,000 men in the nearby Mariupol area to launch attacks from the south. Meanwhile, soldiers fighting in the Vugledar area say the fall of Avdiivka would likely free up Russian forces to intensify attacks from the north, the NYT reports.
Robotine
The publication reminds that the Kremlin seeks to restore its positions in the Robotyne area of Zaporizhzhia region in order to return the areas liberated by the Armed Forces of Ukraine during last year's counteroffensive. The Russian Federation has gathered even more forces there than in Avdiivka, the authors indicate, citing the spokesman for the Tavria group of forces, Dmitry Lykhoviy.
“It seems that the Russians set themselves the goal of achieving some success there by storming, as they tried to do in Avdiivka,” the military officer reports.
PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES
Kreminna
According to the authors of the article, Russia is pressuring Kreminna to regain control over the territories they lost at the end of 2022.
“Last year, a small area changed hands, despite intense fighting in the forest belts along the front in this direction. Now Russia is starting to move forward again, albeit slowly, despite fierce Ukrainian resistance.”
According to the publication, Russian troops are advancing in two directions from Kreminna: north towards Kupyansk and towards Lyman.
Ground Forces spokesman Ilya Yevlash reported that Russia has been maintaining about 110,000 troops in the area for several months.
Bakhmut
The Russians captured Bakhmut in May of last year. Now, the publication writes, they have renewed pressure in this direction, and the initiative is on their side.
General Oleksandr Syrsky, the newly appointed commander of Ukrainian forces, recently stated that the Russians plan to break through Ukrainian defenses around Chasovye Yar, which would give them control of commanding heights in the area and expose the city of Kramatorsk to increased artillery fire.
According to Ukrainian estimates, there are about 62,000 Russian troops in the Bakhmut direction.
According to Syrsky, the situation there is tense and requires constant monitoring and prompt decision-making on the ground.
