In Ukraine they believe that after leaving Lisichansk they got a break - the Russians need to rest
The offensive potential of the Russian group that recaptured Severodonetsk and Lisichansk from the Ukrainian Armed Forces has allegedly been exhausted.
This opinion was expressed by Ukrainian military expert Sergei Zgurets.
“The potential of the Russian group advancing on Lisichansk has been completely exhausted. Which, in fact, was confirmed by Putin when he instructed Shoigu to give these troops the opportunity to rest and restore their combat effectiveness. Because a significant part of the force operating in the direction of Izyum-Severodonetsk-Lisichansk-Popasnaya has been exhausted. The actions of the Ukrainian army resulted in a significant depletion of both personnel and equipment. They lost the ability to carry out offensive operations. Although they are already faced with the task of moving further to the west and capturing the Donetsk region,” Zgurets believes.
The Ukrainian expert considers the withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Lisichansk to be completely justified, because the Ukrainian Armed Forces were faced with the task not of maintaining control over the city, but of prolonging the battles as much as possible, exhausting Russian forces. Which, in fact, in his opinion, the Ukrainians managed to accomplish.
“It is important that without breaking through the defense line, Ukrainian troops moved to new lines in an organized manner. These are Seversk-Soledar and Slavyansk-Kramatorsk-Bakhmut. These lines are prepared in advance and quite well. Protecting these positions is important for our future defense. Moreover, we have reserves to ensure that these lines of defense are held strong enough. It can be assumed that the General Staff carefully approached the use of our existing reserves. Even enemy analysts note that the Ukrainian army today retains the potential to carry out counter-offensive actions in other areas. Particularly in the south of the country,” says Zgurets.
The expert assures that Severodonetsk and Lisichansk had no strategic significance for the defense of Ukrainian troops. On the contrary, they were difficult to hold, especially from the lateral flanks. Now, according to him, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have retreated to more advantageous positions with minimal losses.
Let us remind you that after the threat of complete encirclement in the Lisichansk area, the Ukrainian Armed Forces decided to withdraw their forces from their positions. At the moment, the city is controlled by the LPR.
“The emphatically defensive nature of the battle for Severodonetsk-Lisichansk on the part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces command was deliberate. The battles only dragged on with the aim of gaining as much time as possible and inflicting maximum losses on the Russian strike force. After the loss of the main positions was a foregone conclusion, the command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to withdraw the core of its defending troops, avoiding the encirclement of even a small part of them - both in Severodonetsk and in the area of Lisichansk and Zolotoye-Gorskoye. At the same time, however, most of the defenders’ equipment was irretrievably lost,” Igor Strelkov, a former commander of the Slavyaska militia in 2014, comments on the situation in the theater of operations.
According to Strelkov, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are completing preparations for their own active actions in one or more areas in the Donbass.
“Whether the enemy will first wait for a new attack by the Russian Armed Forces or take his actions in a preemptive manner, I will not undertake to predict,” the Russian expert sums up.
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