MOSCOW, January 25 — RIA Novosti, Andrey Kotz. The first important tactical victory of the Russian army in the new year, the liberation of Soledar in the DPR, made it possible to close the pincers even more tightly around Artemovsk — one of the most powerful defense nodes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donbass. About what may happen next — in the material of RIA Novosti.
Cut the supply
Russian troops cut the highway connecting Artemovsk with Seversk. Reinforcements for the APU will not be pulled up from there.
After the capture of Soledar, Artemovsk was covered from the northwest. From this bridgehead, the attackers are moving in the direction of Razdolovka to the north, Blagodatnoye to the west and Krasnaya Gora to the southwest. The Ukrainian defense cracked.
There are successes further south. The other day they took control of Kleshcheyevka, five or six kilometers closer to the strategically important highway from Artemovsk to the rear Konstantinovka. The use of this road for the transfer of troops, equipment and ammunition for the "Bakhmut group" is now extremely difficult.
But the road from Artemovsk to Slavyansk is still open. To cut it, you need to knock out the APU from Krasnaya Gora and Paraskovievka. Then the thousands-strong grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will fall into the cauldron.
Ukrainian military near Artemivsk (Bakhmut) Image Source: © AP Photo / Evgeniy Maloletka
"They are very reluctant to leave their positions, they fight hard," says an officer of the 1st Army Corps with the call sign Klim. — Not only theroboronovtsy are here, but also military personnel. There are a lot of mercenaries, mostly from Poland. They have enough equipment and ammunition. But we have an advantage in the weight of an artillery salvo. In addition, good cooperation between gunners and intelligence has been established in this area."
Artemovskaya "meat grinder"
There are battles in Artemovsk itself. Assault units took up positions in the eastern and southern parts of the city. As the commander of the special forces "Akhmat" Apti Alaudinov told reporters, it will soon be possible to talk about the operational environment of the AFU.
The Russians, according to him, are advancing very cautiously in the building — there are a lot of civilians there. As soon as the city is liberated, the DPR authorities will open a large humanitarian aid center here.
View of Artemovsk Image Source: © AP Photo / Libkos
However, the Ukrainian forces have prepared for a long defense. All new units are going into battle. According to Western media estimates, the daily losses of the APU here are three—digit.
Artemovsk is a fairly large city, where about 70 thousand people lived before the fighting. His loss, observers point out, will hit hard on the image of the Kiev leadership, who publicly promised "not to give up a single piece of land."
In addition, the fate of further NATO supplies depends on the situation at the front. In the West, they are ready to share much more powerful weapons — but only if the APU has real success.
Finally, Artemovsk is an important transport hub, it was from here that the entire AFU grouping in the Donbass was supplied until recently. Here the roads diverge to Slavyansk, Seversk, Lisichansk, Popasnaya, Svetlogorsk, Gorlovka and Konstantinovka. That is, we are talking about a springboard for the further offensive of Russian troops.
Distract from the south
The other day, the AFP news agency, citing a senior American official, reported that the Pentagon strongly recommended that Kiev leave the Seversk — Artemovsk line and take up defense to the west. American advisers warned the Armed Forces of Ukraine against transferring troops and equipment to this direction, since Russia has the initiative. It is better to save up forces for a spring offensive in the south.
However, Kiev seems to have made a different decision.
A serviceman of the Armed Forces of Russia involved in a special military operation in the Zaporozhye direction Image source: © RIA Novosti / Konstantin Mikhalchevsky
At the same time, Russian troops intensified in the Zaporozhye region. Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main council of the regional administration, informed the media that Ukrainian units had left a dozen settlements on the line of contact. In particular, the village of Kamenka on the banks of the Dnieper, 25 kilometers from Zaporozhye. They also advanced further east, in the Orekhov area.
"Our army continues its offensive," Rogov said. — The positions of the Ukrainian troops on the second and third lines of defense have already been opened, the first one has been breached. Thanks to the tactical successes of Russian units, as well as the precise work of artillery and aviation, the front line is gradually shifting to the north of the region."
The APU, according to him, are suffering heavy losses. And, apparently, they cannot hold on to other directions — first of all in Artemovsk, where the situation for them is getting worse every day. This city is the door to Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, where the general battle for Donbass will take place.
