A 13-kilometer military convoy of the Russian army rolls towards Donbass

Created: 04/12/2022, 15:34

By: Tobias Utz

The Russian military convoy photographed on March 10.

© Maxar Technologies/AFP

In the Ukraine war, Russia is concentrating on the "liberation" of the Donbass in the east.

A convoy is supposed to secure the supply route.

Izyum/Luhansk – Hundreds of military vehicles, including tanks, are currently rolling towards the Donbass.

Satellite images from the US company Maxar Technologies, which became public over the weekend, show the convoy in the Ukrainian hinterland.

The Russian armed forces are not making as much progress as planned.

This is mainly due to the fact that they are forced to travel on country roads instead of expressways.

Since the city of Kharkiv has not yet been taken, a detour to the Donbass must be taken.

According to an analysis by the think tank "The Study of War", Ukrainian troops are currently controlling the main traffic arteries.

In battles, these were probably defended.

According to media reports, the destination of the Russian convoy is the city of Izyum.

It is considered to be the gateway to the Donbass, the region that, according to Vladimir Putin*, is to be "liberated".

The city near Kharkiv is the "hottest point" of the heavy fighting, Oleg Synegubov, head of the military administration in the Kharkiv region, recently told US broadcaster CNN.

According to consistent Ukrainian media reports, the armed forces of Russia* are to gather near Izyum, in the city of Belgorod.

Many of them were previously re-equipped in Belarus.

The setbacks suffered previously in the Ukraine war* were too severe.

Ukraine News: 13-kilometer military convoy rolls towards Donbass

The 13-kilometer convoy on the way to the Donbass is reminiscent of the convoy that was on its way to the capital Kyiv several weeks ago.

The column finally came to a standstill and the military vehicles made very slow progress.

One reason for this was the lack of supplies.

The logistics chains of the Russian army sometimes didn't work, so that tanks could not be repaired and soldiers had little to eat.

The route that the new convoy is currently traveling could become the new supply route to the Donbass.

For this, however, the military column would have to arrive in Izyum.

It remains to be seen whether the Russian army has eliminated its logistical shortcomings.

However, the new Donbass route via Izyum is not only intended to ensure the supply of material, it will probably also play a role in terms of personnel.

Phillips Payson O'Brien, Professor of Strategic Studies at the University of St. Andrews, recently told the Tagesspiegel that he considers a decisive breakthrough in the Donbass to be very unlikely without reinforcements.

Data on how many Russian forces are currently awaiting orders to attack in Donbass varies widely.

The governor of the Luhansk Oblast recently stated that there should be around 60,000.

The Pentagon, on the other hand, speaks of 24,000 soldiers.

However, Ukraine* expects enormous supplies from the Russian armed forces in the east of the country.

The Ministry of Defense recently announced that it would continue to invest in recruit training.

(tu)