Russia’s just achieved a major milestone in its war on Ukraine which began February 24.
Ukrainian officials stated on Tuesday that Russian forces are now moving fully into the Donetsk province in the country’s southeastern Donbas region.
This comes just a few days after the Russian government lauded a “significant win” in the eastern city of Luhansk in the Donbas region.
Russia Presses Forward Into East Ukraine
Per the governor of Luhansk, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s troops are currently engaged in fierce battles as they work their way into Donetsk, which is located in the southern region of Ukraine’s Donbas area.
This comes after the Russian military successfully seized the towns of Severodonestk and Lysychansk in lengthy, blood-soaked battles.
After their triumph in Luhansk, Russian forces were instructed by Putin to rest until the next attack. Speaking in a televised address on Monday Putin told his troops to “relax and ramp up their combat skills.”
The information from the front seems to contradict this instruction. It appears the troops were already actively engaging in the fresh assault on Donetsk.
A 10-year-old girl was killed after Ukrainian forces struck a civilian part of the center of Donetsk in the Donetsk Republic. Waiting for Western media outrage.
pic.twitter.com/MTUCiLECXS— Fiorella Isabel (@FiorellaIsabelM) July 5, 2022
“There is intense fighting on the outskirts of the Luhansk area… There has been a complete redeployment of all of Russia’s armed forces, including their reserves. They are suffering significant financial setbacks.” According to Reuters, Governor Serhiy Gaidai of Luhansk made the statement to Ukrainian television.
“Many supplies and vehicles are currently being transported to the Donetsk region. Obviously, following the area of Luhansk, Donetsk is at the very top of their priority list,” Gaidai added.
Putin and Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu showed up at a televised conference on Monday, during which the Russian leader commended his commanders and soldiers for their “achievement” in Luhansk. Shoigu also participated in the meeting. After taking control of the region, Putin gave the impression that he would give his forces a break from active combat.
The sound of russian ammo blowing up in Donetsk.
What does this mean for russian logistics?
A thread 🧵:Since 2014-15 russia built dozens of ammo dumps hidden in civilian buildings near railway stations in the parts of Ukraine it occupies.
— Thomas C. Theiner (@noclador) July 6, 2022
Losses And Setbacks
According to the Institute for the Study of War, a research think tank based in Washington, DC, “Putin’s public statement was likely aimed to indicate his care for the wellbeing of his troops in the face of recurrent concerns in Russia about the treatment of Russian soldiers.”
He decided to add that seized Russian soldiers “admit that each day they obtain an order to push further, they may not always carry it out, because the setbacks in officers are very significant,” Gaidai stated on Tuesday on Telegram that Russia had suffered “thousands” of casualties during the siege of Lysychansk alone.
During an interview on television, Gaidai stated that Russia is suffering a catastrophic loss of personnel and “is not planning to bring all their injured soldiers with them. Both the morgues and the hospitals are completely at capacity with patients.”
The governor gave the impression that he had high hopes that the Ukrainian opposition would soon be able to convince Russia to tone down its campaign in the Donbas area.
“Away from the fighting, our troops have been attacking supply dumps held by the enemy. A significant amount of machinery and the fuel required for machinery is being ruined. Therefore, it is safe to presume that at some point they will need to stop and catch their breath,” Gaidai said.
