According to The New York Times, the Russian Federation army has captured or entered approximately 6 villages in the Donbass region over the past week. This movement confirms the increase in military activity on the part of the Russian Federation.
Military experts who have analyzed the situation believe that Moscow is trying to expand its positions in Donbas as much as possible before the deliveries of American aid begin. This may indicate a strategic move by Russia aimed at strengthening control over the conflict region and supporting pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.
The breakthrough at Ocheretyne left the Russians with a choice: continue their assault there or concentrate on Chasovye Yar. Both settlements open the way to Kostyantynivka, the main supply point for Ukrainian troops on most of the eastern front.
An attack from the north and south could allow the city to be taken in a pinch.
“Russian forces currently have the ability to achieve significant operational gains in the Chasovoye Yar area,” the Institute for the Study of War said in a Sunday report.
The head of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation, Serhiy Kuzan, believes that Russia's advance "will continue in the near future, depending on how quickly and in what volume Western aid arrives.".
In his opinion, Ukraine's military leadership was making a "choice between a bad situation and an even worse one" and decided to lose territory rather than soldiers.
