Russian war of aggression
ISW: Russia can choose a direction for further offensive
A destroyed cultural center near Avdiivka: Russia has been waging its war of aggression against Ukraine for two years. photo
© Alex Babenko/AP/dpa
The Ukrainian defenders are unable to stabilize the front west of Avdiivka. According to US military experts, Russia’s armed forces are now spoiled for choice in how to proceed.
To the west of the recently conquered small town of Avdiivka, there are now several tactical options for Moscow to expand the offensive, the experts from the ISW think tank in Washington wrote on Monday evening (local time). The Russian command has the choice of either advancing further west to the industrial city of Pokrovsk or turning north to intensify the attack on Chasiv Yar.
Russia has been waging its war of aggression against Ukraine for two years. Due to slow deliveries of ammunition and weapons, but also increasingly due to a lack of soldiers, the defenders have been put on the defensive in the last six months. After the loss of the small town of Avdiivka, which had been converted into a fortress, west of the regional capital Donetsk, which has been controlled by pro-Russian forces since 2014, the front has started to move. While the previous months had involved gaining ground of a few hundred meters, since February the Russian troops have advanced 15 kilometers and occupied a number of additional towns.
The Ukrainians are also under pressure north of there in the Bakhmut area. According to information from Kiev, the Russian military leadership wants to declare the capture of the city of Chasiv Yar a success on Victory Day on May 9th – the most important holiday for Russia commemorating the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.