2024-05-02 04:46:02
According to The Financial Times, Russia has deployed up to 25,000 troops near the city in recent weeks. soldiers In other frontline hotspots, Moscow’s troops are also pushing forward to capture as much territory as possible before Western help arrives.
“The situation on the front line has worsened,” the commander-in-chief of Ukraine‘s armed forces, General Oleksandr Syrsky, said on Sunday.
Chasiv Yar is considered Moscow’s most important prize, and senior Ukrainian commanders say the Russian General Staff has ordered its troops to capture it by May 9. Analysts and Ukrainian military officials say the significance of this town is more strategic than symbolic.
Serious consequences are possible
The withdrawal of the Ukrainians from Chasiv Yar could threaten the entire defense of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which are collectively known as Donbass. This hilltop town is one of Ukraine’s last natural barriers protecting vital supply lines, and 30 km to the north is the city of Kramatorsk.
“Chasiv Yar is the center of gravity of the regional defense line,” said Viktor Kevliuk, a military analyst at the Kyiv-based Center for Defense Strategies.
According to the spokesperson of the 26th Artillery Brigade stationed in the city, Russian planes are hitting the city with dozens of flying bombs every day. These Soviet-era bombs have modernized wings and navigation systems, allowing Russia to better target positions in Ukraine. Upon impact, a flying bomb can leave craters up to 20 meters wide and up to 6 meters deep.
The two sides are now fighting for control of Bogdanivka and Ivanovskoye, two villages on the outskirts of the city. Russian forces cannot yet enter the city itself.
The defenses of Časiv Yar rely mainly on a 30-meter-wide canal that runs along the eastern edge of the city. This Soviet-era structure, which was used to divert water from the Donetsk River and supply the region’s metallurgical industry, is an excellent barrier to armored vehicles. However, Russian troops are slowly approaching the canal.
The Canal Bridge connects the main part of the city with the small residential area of Canal. The occupiers entered there for a short time. The bridge was destroyed by artillery strikes.
However, there are two sections of the canal with a total length of about 1.5 km, which have become “convenient places for Russian attacks”, says V. Kevliukas. Over the past two weeks, the occupying forces have “attacked here very intensively, but so far without success.”
The battle for Chasiv Yar is intensifying
The forests covering the slopes of the Chasiv Yar hills also became the scene of fierce fighting.
“Using attack drones in the forest is impractical; branches and leaves prevent us from hitting our target. But we have other drones that can drop munitions, such as the Baba Yaga unmanned heavy bomber, Yuriy Fedorenka, commander of the Achilles Battalion, the Ukrainian drone unit operating in the area, told The Financial Times.
Once Chasiv Yar is captured or bypassed, Russian artillery, drones and flying bombs could threaten the more vulnerable town of Kostiantynivka. Moscow could also disrupt or completely cut supply lines through the city that connect Ukraine’s defense efforts in the northern and southern parts of Donbass.
It took the Russian army almost a year to advance six kilometers from the ruined Bakhmut to the vicinity of Chasiv Yar. However, the advance has been more rapid recently: Russian units further south in less than two weeks advanced seven kilometers and captured the village of Ocheretyne.
“The section that the Russians managed to capture in the last few months was a good Ukrainian defensive line. Now Russia could advance faster. Also, capturing Chasiv Yar would make it much more difficult to defend other areas,” said Rob Lee, a military analyst and senior researcher.
An important fortress
Recent Russian gains at Chasiv Yar have only increased the city’s importance. If Russian soldiers manage to conquer the road leading to Kostiantynivka near Ocheretyn, then “the entire defense line” in this area will be surrounded, said Mykolays Melnykas, a Ukrainian officer and former brigade commander.
“I am convinced that the political and military leadership of Ukraine is aware of this problem and is trying to solve it,” said M. Melnykas.
Chasiv Yar has largely turned into a military fortress. Several dozen civilians still live in the city, which is under constant shelling.
“It’s too dangerous to go there now. It’s a lottery. These days, you can go to the eastern regions only if it rains, so that drones cannot fly,” said Yevgenijus Tkačiov, a resident of the city, who brings humanitarian aid to the city by truck.
Analysts and Ukraine’s military expect Russia to step up its attacks in the coming days in an attempt to consolidate its advantage before the 61 billion Russian troops reach the front lines. dollars worth of US weaponry.
“The enemy understands that Ukraine does not have enough planes, anti-aircraft systems and ammunition, that it does not have as many armored vehicles as they do,” J. Fedorenka said.
However, he added, Russia also “understands that our partners have made a very important decision and soon we will receive the necessary weapons. Therefore, in the next month and a half, the enemy will press as hard as possible.”
Prepared according to information from UNIAN and The Financial Times.
2024-05-02 04:46:02