“Currently the Russians are pressing into the Donbass pocket, on three sides and claiming to progress, while on the other side the Ukrainians are sounding alarms for lack of ammunition and denouncing the deaths of 200 soldiers and 500 injured per day. The city of Severodonetsk risks falling, but it should be emphasized that in that pocket, where Russian soldiers also press from north and south, there are 10 to 15 thousand Ukrainian soldiers, the best forces of the Ukrainian army, and risk being surrounded and being taken prisoner “. General Giorgio Battisti, first commander of the Italian contingent of the ISAF mission in Afghanistan and member of the Italian Atlantic Committee, told time.news.
“So the Ukrainian defense has two options: to stay and fight to the end, waiting for the weapons systems promised by Great Britain and the United States, since the city of Severodonetsk is also considered a symbol like Mariupol, against the complete sale of the Donbass to the Russians, – explained Battisti – or retreat and carry out what is technically called a ‘retreat maneuver’, giving the area to Moscow, which was the goal announced at the time by Russia. June 12 is the Day of Russia, a national holiday, and to be able to declare the conquest of the whole Donbass for Putin would be a great victory “.
“The ‘retreat maneuver’, however, entails difficulties and a great coordination of forces. The Ukrainians, if they decide to implement it, risk leaving behind part of the vehicles and heavy weapons, they would have to move at night and always with the very strong risk to be discovered and to suffer the artillery fire of the Russian troops, and then they should leave a ‘veil’ of troops on the field who must still keep the front to cover the retreat. Another element not to be underestimated is what the area is densely populated by pro-Russians, the so-called fifth column, who could warn the Russian troops of Ukrainian movements “, concluded Battisti.