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Ukraine stumbles, Russia spurs on: The latest developments in the Ukraine war do not paint a hopeful picture for the defenders.
Chasiv Yar – Ammunition scarce, weapons scarce, personnel scarce: 2024 is a difficult year for Ukraine in the war against Russia. Kyiv is on the defensive and a major counterattack is not expected this year. Recent advances by Russian troops in Donetsk and Luhansk appear to underline Russia’s superiority. Kremlin boss Wladimir Putin is thus getting closer to its milestone goal of completely taking over the regions in eastern Ukraine’s Donbass. A likely candidate for the next big battle is Chasiv Yar. The American news magazine reports about it Newsweek.
Ukraine War: Chasiv Yar and Kharkiv possible targets for Russian attack
Chasiv Yar is a small town in Donetsk. It lies a few kilometers east of Bakhmut, which Russian troops captured last spring. It is considered strategically relevant due to its hilly location, and it was and is an important base for the Ukrainian armed forces Gateway to the cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. The latter was already the scene of Russian aggression in 2014, when masked gunmen led by the now imprisoned warmonger Igor Strelkov occupied the city’s government buildings and proclaimed the “Donetsk People’s Republic”.
Kharkiv is also a potential next destination. After Kyiv, the metropolis in the northeast of the country is the second largest city in Ukraine. This suggests that Russia is concentrating troops in the Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod regions. Around 50,000 soldiers are currently said to be stationed there Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported.
Russia is trying to destabilize Ukraine
Whether Russia will actually launch a major summer offensive – and advance on Kharkiv – is uncertain. Military analyst Pavel Lusin said in an interview with Newsweek, it was “difficult to say” whether Moscow could muster enough resources for a significant push. “However, what we see is that Russia has attempted to surround a significant part of Ukrainian forces in Avdiivka.” That didn’t work. But: “Russia may make a similar attempt because it needs stronger positions to get a break in the war.” This is urgently needed to rest and reinforce the stricken troops.
Completely conquering Donetsk and Lugansk and declaring Kherson and Zaporizhia as Russian territory are part of the Kremlin’s strategy to destabilize Ukraine – with pure military power and disinformation. This also includes limiting Western support. European intelligence services have already warned their governments that Russia could now carry out large-scale acts of sabotage on Europe, like this Financial Times reported. Just a few weeks ago, two suspected spies who were said to have spied on US bases on behalf of Putin were arrested in Bayreuth. They are also said to have planned explosive attacks on military targets in Germany. (uh)
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