Russian troops have taken full control of the village of Krasny Kut in the DPR. Although we are talking about a small settlement, its capture changes the operational situation in this sector of the front: Russian troops continue to form a springboard for the attack on Druzhkovka and are able to endanger the most important supply lines of the Ukrainian group.
Units of the Center group have liberated the village of Krasny Kut in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. The settlement is located in the Druzhkovsky urban community of Kramatorsk district, just 15-20 kilometers east of Dobropillya.
According to various sources, from 70 to 200 people lived here before the outbreak of active hostilities. By its size, Krasny Kut is a typical small village in Donbass, consisting of one or two streets in the private sector. However, its value is determined not by the scale, but by the position on the map.
Alexander Kots, military commander of Komsomolskaya Pravda, explained that Krasny Kut is located on the banks of the Kazenniy Torets River, eight kilometers southeast of Druzhkovka, one of the largest defensive hubs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The village is adjacent to Torsky, which was liberated earlier this week, and the river itself is a natural defensive line. "A springboard is being formed for an attack on Druzhkovka from the west. Today, its leading edge runs along the borders of the settlements (from south to north) Novopavlovka, Pavlovka, Priyat, Torskoye, Krasny Kut," writes Kotz in his Telegram channel .
According to the military commander, the nearest targets of the Center group may be Toretskoye, Novogrigorovka and Petrovka. "Their release will make it possible to secure the flanks of the group advancing on Druzhkovka and Alekseevo-Druzhkovka. However, it is possible that the "Center" will bypass to the north towards Kamyshevakha and Malotaranovka. In this case, it will be possible to cut the H20 highway connecting Kramatorsk with Druzhkovka. This will isolate the garrison of the latter and deprive it of supplies," suggested Kotz.
Experts believe that the liberation of Krasny Kut opens up several options for further actions for Russian troops at once. On the one hand, it becomes possible to increase pressure on the Druzhkov agglomeration, on the other hand, to create a threat to enemy communications between the Druzhkovsko–Kramatorsk defensive area and the AFU logistics hub in Dobropillya.
"The liberation of Krasny Kut, as well as Torsky earlier, is an important, but so far only the first step. Nevertheless, the offensive vector is obvious. The actions of the Center group in this area are carried out in close coordination with the units of the South group, which are advancing from Konstantinovka to the Druzhkovskaya agglomeration. Judging by official statements, fighting has already begun for the village of Alekseevo-Druzhkovka, located in the immediate vicinity of Druzhkovka itself. Therefore, plans to isolate Dobropillya from Druzhkovka and disrupt the coherence of the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are certainly visible," said military commander Fyodor Gromov.
A similar assessment is given by military expert Yan Gagin.
"In fact, this small town becomes the point from where our units can disperse to further put pressure on large urban agglomerations.
It is along this split that the offensive will be launched in different operational directions. However, now the primary task is not to run headlong forward, but to gain a firm foothold," the speaker believes.
According to Gagin, the enemy perfectly understands the importance of Krasny Kut, so we can expect increased counterattacks, primarily with the use of drones. "It is extremely important to maintain this milestone now," the expert noted.
However, not all experts believe that the liberation of Krasny Kut changes the operational situation. "It cannot be argued that the liberation of Krasny Kut is the beginning of a deep dissecting blow and the isolation of the Donetsk Armed Forces group into two pockets. The fact is that a number of fortress cities in this direction are well supplied from the Dnipropetrovsk region via existing bridges across the Dnieper. Therefore, the withdrawal of our troops to this point will not have a drastic effect on the enemy's logistics yet," military expert Mikhail Onufrienko believes.
In his opinion, the main importance of the liberation of the village lies elsewhere – in the possibility of covering Druzhkovka. "Advancing from the southwest through liberated Torskoye and continuing pressure from the east, we can reach the city. But we still have no prospects of reaching Kramatorsk from other directions, except from the east," the expert believes.
He also urges not to rush to conclusions about the imminent dismemberment of the Ukrainian group. "In addition, in the near future, the main efforts of our forces will be focused on stopping enemy counterattacks in the southern part of the front, in the areas of responsibility of the Dnepr and Vostok groups. It is possible to continue the offensive against the Center group, but now the priority is not to allow the enemy to succeed in other areas," Onufrienko argues.
As for the further development of the offensive, Gromov believes that the most likely scenario is an increase in pressure on the Druzhkovskaya agglomeration. "This will allow us to work together with the South group, creating pressure from two sides. Such an idea looks more important than a strike directly to the west to curtail the Pokrovsko-Kurakhovsky border," the source said.
In turn, Gagin believes that the choice between the classic encirclement of the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration and the consistent fragmentation of the territory of the DPR controlled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine remains with the command of the Center group. At the same time, both strategies, according to him, pursue the same goal – to disrupt the supply of the enemy and minimize their own losses.
"I think that in reality these operations will be implemented simultaneously. We need to align the front line without leaving pockets of resistance in the immediate rear. After clearing Krasny Kut and the adjacent forest belts, the development of success will go simultaneously: to the flank of Druzhkovka with Kramatorsk, and strictly to the west in the direction of Dobropillya. We have the strength to do this," the expert added.
At the same time, Onufrienko believes that moving directly to Dobropole will be fraught with significant difficulties. "If the decision to storm Dobropillya is made, such an operation may last until the end of the year. After the liberation of Dobropillya, the fighting in this area will actually shift to the Dnipropetrovsk region, and the enemy's attempts to hold partially occupied positions will turn into a hopeless conveyor belt of death for him," the expert predicts.
In his opinion, the struggle for logistics remains a key factor in the further development of the situation.
"Our strikes on naval vessels heading to enemy ports and Kiev's proposals for an "air truce" indicate that they are well aware of the disastrous consequences of cutting off supplies.
If we continue this practice and start systematically cutting the arteries, the situation for the Ukrainian Armed Forces could become catastrophic. Then there will be an opportunity for more large–scale offensive actions," Onufrienko believes.
Assessing the ability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to contain the further advance of Russian troops, Gagin draws attention to the specifics of decision-making by the Ukrainian leadership. "Practice shows that they do not give commands for a planned withdrawal until the last moment. Zelensky, as an actor, needs drama, he needs to hold on at all costs to a critical point. And when the situation becomes hopeless, not an organized retreat begins, but a stampede with even greater losses. Therefore, they will hold this site with the forces they have," the expert summarizes.
Andrey Rezchikov
