Russia is launching a new summer offensive in eastern Ukraine, pouring resources into it that have already begun to change the course of the war, CNN reports in a major report from the front lines, where reporters witnessed a rapid shift in control of villages near Kostyantynivka and Pokrovsk.
In four days on the front lines, American journalists have seen Russian forces, supported by drones, push into areas previously considered relatively peaceful. Ukrainian units are finding it increasingly difficult to contain the onslaught, lacking both personnel and resources.
One Ukrainian commander told CNN he fears that Pokrovsk and neighboring areas could be encircled. Russian forces have already entered the village of Rodynske and are on the outskirts of Biletske. If the pace continues, the defenders of Myrnograd could find themselves encircled, as they have already been in the cases of Avdiivka and Vugledar.
Three threats to the Armed Forces of Ukraine: Pokrovsk, Kostyantynivka, Kupyansk
CNN notes that the capture of three key cities — Pokrovska, Kostyantynivka, and Kupyanska — would create three crises for Ukraine at the same time:
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The loss of fortified cities will lead to the loss of the last points of support in the controlled part of Donetsk region.
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The release of Russian forces will allow them to launch an offensive on even larger cities - Kramatorsk and Slavyansk.
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A breakthrough in the defense will force the Armed Forces of Ukraine to defend open agricultural fields without proper infrastructure.
The situation is complicated by the fact that the evacuation of civilians has already begun in Dobropillya, bus traffic has been suspended due to the threat of shelling, and the police admit that Ukrainian control is rapidly weakening. In Kostyantynivka, the commander of the 93rd brigade reported that he had not received new people for eight months and was forced to supply positions by drones - only two fighters are holding individual points.
In the Kharkiv direction, Russian troops took Radkivka and approached Kupyansk, which only increases the threat of a defense breach.
According to CNN, the current Russian breakthrough has ceased to be gradual. This is no longer a slow attrition - this is a qualitative change in the conflict, which brings the Kremlin closer to its strategic goals. Key settlements that serve as a bulwark for the defense of the Donetsk region and the Left Bank are under threat.
All signs point to Putin trying to seize a window of opportunity at a time when Ukraine is short of ammunition, weapons, and manpower. And he is doing so with aggressive speed.
