After the capture of Avdiyivka on February 17, Russian troops not only did not stop their offensive actions, but also significantly intensified them. In 2 weeks, they were able to take control of a number of villages on the outskirts of Avdiivka and advance to the west for almost 7 km.
The Russian authorities are trying to make the most of the period when the Ukrainian army is experiencing "shell hunger" due to the delay in the supply of ammunition from the Western allies.
The withdrawal of the Armed Forces garrison from Avdiivka took place, according to the commander of the "Tavria" OSU Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, according to "a plan developed taking into account various scenarios and a possible change in the operational situation." Ukrainian soldiers were supposed to take positions on the prepared second line of defense.
However, the rapid advance of the Russians on the western outskirts of Avdiyivka showed that these lines of defense were obviously not properly prepared. In a few days, the Russians were able to take control of the villages of Severne, Stepove and Lastochkine, which are approximately 2-3 km west of Avdiivka.
As of February 26-27, Commander Tarnavskyi reported on a significant increase in the offensive capabilities of the Russians west of Avdiyivka and that the line of defense in this area had been "stabilized" in the area of Tonenke - Orlivka - Berdychi. That is, 6-7 km from the captured city.
Dmytro Lykhova, the spokesman of the "Tavria" military command center, explained that precisely in the area of these villages there is a cascade of reservoirs, which should become an obstacle for the further movement of the Russian army.
"Miscalculations" of the commanders?
PHOTO AUTHOR, DEEPSTATE Photo Caption After the capture of Avdiyivka, the Russians were able to quickly move westward to the outskirts of Orlivka. They can be restrained by a cascade of reservoirs located behind this village.
However, already on February 29, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrsky was forced to intervene in the situation around Avdiivka.
He reported that he had arrived at the military units that are defending the Avdiiv and Kurakhiv directions. The head called the situation difficult.
According to him, the Russian army is now storming the settlements of Tonenke, Orlivka, Semenivka, Berdychi, Krasnohorivka. As for the latter, this city is 10 km west of Donetsk, between Kurakhov and Avdiivka.
Russian pro-war Telegram channels reported on February 27 that Russian troops had already entered Krasnohorivka. The Ukrainian 3rd Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed this, but emphasized that the enemy there was subsequently destroyed and Krasnohorivka was cleared.
The representative of the brigade Volodymyr Fokin in the NV commentary emphasized that the battles for Krasnohorivka were very fierce and the Russians did not want to surrender. At the same time, Fokin pointed out that, in general, the Russians now have a huge advantage in terms of ammunition and people in that direction.
In his turn, the head of the Syrskyi said that the Russians had already entered Orlivka and were trying to gain a foothold, but they managed to drive them out of the settlement.
"Our brigades are fighting tough battles with the enemy's superior forces. - remarked the commander. "The enemy suffers significant losses in manpower and equipment, but stubbornly continues to attack our positions, sometimes succeeding in some areas."
At the same time, Syrsky emphasized that he had discovered "miscalculations" in the actions of individual Ukrainian commanders.
"During the work, some commanders discovered certain miscalculations in mastering the situation and assessing the enemy, which directly affected the stability of the defense in certain directions."
The commander-in-chief did not explain what exactly was meant, but emphasized that he had taken measures to "rectify the situation on the spot."
In particular, they decided to allocate an additional resource of ammunition and material resources, as well as necessary reserves.
Previously, military experts and military commander Yuriy Butusov pointed out that the defensive lines west of Avdiivka were not prepared for defense.
Rapidly moving to the west, the Russian armed forces obviously intend to improve their tactical position and get closer to the strategically important cities in the Donetsk region - Selydovo and Kurakhovo, through which the logistics routes of the supply of the armed forces pass.
As of the end of February, Kurakhove is located only 10 km from the front line, Selidove - 20 km.
