As of: March 27, 2024, 5:50 a.m
By: Babett Gumbrecht
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Russia is conducting a tough offensive on the Ukraine front.
Now the city of Chasiv Yar in the east could fall.
Why this is strategically important.
KYIV - Russia's recent activities in the Ukraine war reveal the next goal of Vladimir Putin's forces: the capture of the city of Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine.
According to the Ukrainian army, the situation is currently “difficult,” reports the French news agency
AFP
.
The Russian army is trying to break through the Ukrainian defense lines, said spokesman for the 26th Artillery Brigade, Oleg Kalashnikov, on Monday (March 25).
Experts also confirm the move: taking over the city is unlikely
The experts from the US Institute for War Studies (ISW) also confirm the situation in eastern Ukraine.
Russian forces are reportedly approaching the outskirts of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast.
According to the ISW, the Russian armed forces have advanced to within 1.5 kilometers of Chassiv Yar.
However, according to the experts, it is unlikely that the Russians under Vladimir Putin will encircle or take over the settlement in the coming months.
The capture of Chasiv Yar would provide operational advantages for Russian forces.
This is because the surrounding areas of the city would further secure the southwestern flank of the Russian front line in the Bakhmut-Soledar region, which has long been a wide bulge.
A Russian conquest of Chasiv Yar and advances north and south of the settlement could also further push Ukrainian forces away from Russian ground lines of communication in the Bakhmut area.
A Ukrainian tank from the 17th Armored Brigade fires at Russian positions.
© Efrem Lukatsky/dpa
War in Ukraine: Russia wants to make further progress in the Donetsk region
In addition, taking the city would also provide Russian forces with routes to advance into Kostiantynivka, the southern edge of a large urban agglomeration in Donetsk Oblast that Russia has long viewed as a key operational target in Ukraine.
Advances through Chasiv Yar provide an immediate route to this urban agglomeration as possible advance routes from the south along the H-20 highway from Avdiivka or from the southwest from Toretsk Oblast.
As early as spring 2022, Russian armed forces tried to encircle the Ukrainian soldiers in the Donetsk region over a wide area and failed.
The focus was on taking the Ukrainian stronghold of Sloviansk, one of the largest cities in this metropolitan area.
According to ISW experts, the Russian command may plan another wide-ranging maneuver in 2025 or later.
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Due to a lack of ammunition: Ukraine has been on the defensive for months
If Chasiv Yar falls, Ukraine would lose another city in the war against Russia.
It was only in mid-February that Russia was able to conquer the completely destroyed Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine.
The capture of the former industrial city followed months of relentless fighting.
In order for Chasiv Yar to follow suit, the Kremlin has increased the use of large guided missiles in the region and is bombarding “inhabited areas and our reinforced positions,” according to
AFP
.
Due to a lack of ammunition, Ukraine has been on the defensive in Russia's war of aggression for several months.
Massive US military aid is blocked in Washington due to a dispute between Republicans and Democrats in Congress.
According to information from Moscow, the Russian army captured another village near the cities of Bakhmut and Chasiv Yar at the weekend.
Chasiv Yar has been a strategically important location since Bakhmut was captured by the Russian army in May 2023.
If the Russian forces also succeed in conquering Chasiv Yar, they could expand their attacks on the Kiev-controlled city of Kramatorsk in Donbass.
(bg/afp)