Donbass battle: briefing of the actual state
The battle of the Donbass is characterized by the strong pressure that the Russian army exerts on all the arch of the salient front that extends from Izyum to Popasna, conquered in recent days by the Russians.
In particular, the Russians are pressing in the area of the city of Severodonetsk, located east of the Severskij Donec river where the village of Voevodivka is also located, occupied by the Russians in recent hours; even Severodonetsk itself risks being occupied by the Russians.
In recent days, however, the Russians have suffered another bitter setback in the area west of Lysychansk while trying to cross the Seversky Donets. Ukrainian artillery destroyed not only two bridges that the Russian army had built for crossing the river but also about 60 Russian vehicles and armored vehicles, although some Russian units they should have been able to cross the river at other points.
However, the Ukrainian offensive in the area east of Kharkov is worrying for the Russians, as it forces the Russians to send reinforcements in this sector, thus subtracting them from that of the Donbass.
The battle of the Donbass is similar to a battle of the Great War, in which the artillery, the number of battalions and the combat capacity of the soldiers play a decisive role. However, both armies have manpower problems. Ukraine has been forced to a general mobilization but Russia also has serious problems of manpower, given that it is believed that in this "special operation" it has already employed about 200,000 soldiers.
There is therefore still a tough fight in the Donbass between Ukrainians and Russians, even if the Russians hold the initiative. Moreover, it must also be taken into account that Russians try to damage as much as possible the logistic structure and the lines of communication of the Ukrainian army, essential for bringing the weapons and military equipment sent to Ukraine from Western countries to the front, with attacks planes and missile launches. The Russian army is still trying to break through the Ukrainian Donbass front, with limited territorial gains, in order to create the conditions to carry out a pincer maneuver and surround most of the Ukrainian brigades, which in any case show no signs of abating for now, to the point that they are able to carry out counterattacks not only in the Kharkov area but also along the Donbass front.
It is safe to assume that both the Russians and the Ukrainians suffer high losses, so that if there is no breakthrough of the Ukrainian front in the coming weeks, there will likely be a stalemate.
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