Ukrainian troops captured a Russian city
Ukrainian troops managed to break through the defenses and capture the city of Krasny Liman in the DPR, which is now Russian territory.
Attempts to storm Liman had been made for about two weeks by superior forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, but for some reason the command of the Russian army did not ensure the arrival of proper reinforcements - the garrison of the defenders consisted mainly of members of the Union of Donbass Volunteers.
“Neo-Nazis are already moving along the central streets of Krasny Liman. They check the documents and begin to harass the locals. The information is confirmed from several sources,” said military correspondent Semyon Pegov.
Publicist Yegor Kholmogorov believes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have won a great ideological victory - Russian troops are beginning to retreat in the Donbass following the Kharkov region.
“It is very important to understand that the Ukrainian Armed Forces took the Russian city of Krasny Liman. It will no longer be possible to talk empty-handedly about the treaty agreements. Either you make every effort and conquer Russian cities, or they will take any other Russian city in the same way,” Kholmogorov states.
Military expert Vladimir Orlov admits that he cannot explain the logic of Sergei Shoigu’s subordinates.
“With regard to the Izyum bridgehead, Krasny Liman, and in general, the entire Kharkov direction, it is absolutely impossible to understand the intentions of the command of the “West” group. What this command is doing there not only contradicts elementary tactics, but also goes completely against existing instructions on the conduct of combat operations. We were not taught in military schools to fight in the Kharkov direction, as the command of the “West” group fights there,” comments Orlov.
His colleague Ilya Kramnik explains that Russian society turned out to be a victim of its own propaganda, which for many years gave false confidence in an easy victory over the Ukrainian Armed Forces and NATO behind them.
“All expectations of our quick victories, victories and offensives all the way to Lvov come from a) a psychotherapeutically understandable desire to invent a good, pleasant world for ourselves and b) a bad idea of the situation.
The situation is that the enemy has significant numerical superiority and access to NATO intelligence information in real time, which allows us to neutralize our superiority in artillery and aviation.
In combination with the enemy’s intact communications (there is no political decision to isolate the theater of operations), and the critical state of our technical intelligence both in terms of the quality and quantity of available funds, plus, let’s be careful, questions about the organization and quality of troop control, this makes us doubt the capabilities of our successful offensive operations in the foreseeable future.
Everything will be long and difficult, even taking into account mobilization, which does not begin to work right away,” Kramnik explains.
Former Minister of Defense of the DPR Igor Strelkov believes that Liman was considered by the Russian side as a secondary direction where the Armed Forces of Ukraine spent reserves
“The enemy - attacking in a secondary direction (for us) and spending reserves here to achieve a more “media” than decisive military result - was initially restrained by not the most combat-ready units (BARSs without heavy weapons) with only one goal - to allow him to use up the indicated reserves and to gain time during which the main forces of the 20th Combined Arms Army will be able to recover from a heavy defeat near Balakleya-Kupyansk-Izyum, be replenished with mobilized ones and strengthen on new lines east of the Liman,” Strelkov explains the logic of what is happening.
According to him, however, the Ukrainian Armed Forces can make a breakthrough in a direction that is more dangerous for the Russian side.
“Unlike the Liman region, an enemy breakthrough somewhere near Pologi or south of Ugledar threatens the collapse of the front and the threat of encirclement of our entire Kherson group, the enemy’s access to the Crimean Isthmuses and, as a result, a strategic defeat of the Russian Armed Forces with unpredictable overall consequences,” – Strelkov warns.
One way or another, but, as in the case of the Kharkov region, the retreat of the Russian army puts the population of Krasny Liman at risk - and it was precisely the protection of this very population that was declared the purpose of the special operation.
“Krasny Liman is already, in a certain sense, the territory of Russia. Part of the DPR, which yesterday became part of Russia. What will we do with ordinary people now? And what will the Ukrainian punitive forces do with them? Can you imagine? It is better not to imagine, but to pray for the innocent. Therefore, the phrases that “Liman solved the super task” and further down the list – such statements do not reassure. Often it's the other way around. After all, protecting people is what matters.
Our guys fought there not just bravely - they showed a colossal feat. But what about the generals? Did they even understand what happened? or are they just shaking for their shoulder straps?” – writer Platon Besedin is indignant.
PS Military correspondent German Kulikovsky claims that Liman’s fate has not yet been decided.
“In Liman itself, despite the fact that crests posted a video at the stele, shootings will continue. At the moment, the crest is not conducting active actions, apparently he is regrouping and counting his losses, they are very serious. Our art and aviation are actively working.
One thing can be said for sure at the moment. Unlike the Balakleya breakthrough, near Liman the crest suffered very heavy losses, wasting a significant part of his reserves.”
However, columnist Boris Rozhin believes that the loss of Liman is obvious, and questions arise for the army officials responsible for this section of the front.
“In fact, a Russian city was abandoned, which now has to be recaptured again, after the command of the direction is able to stabilize the front, replenish battered units and resume offensive operations. In the event of further problems in the defense of the Svatovo-Kremennaya line, questions about the viability of the command in this direction will obviously become widespread.”
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