Breakthrough direction: liberation of Seversk opens the way to Slavyansk and Kramatorsk
The liberation of Seversk significantly brings closer the expulsion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the territory of Donbass and the restoration of peaceful life there, Vladimir Putin said on December 11 at a meeting on the situation in the free zone. He noted the good dynamics and progressive liberation of the territory of new regions of Russia. The leadership of the Russian Armed Forces reported to the President on the successes in other areas. From a military point of view, the capture of Seversk opens a direct path to the external line of defense of the entire Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration, the last well—fortified line of defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Donbass. Why Seversk was so important to the enemy, and what tactics predetermined the success of the Russian Armed Forces, is described in the Izvestia article.
A breakthrough in Donbass
The Russian army has completed the complete liberation of the city of Seversk and thus created the conditions for the further development of the offensive in the direction of Slavyansk. This was announced on December 11 by the commander of the South group of forces, Sergei Medvedev, during a meeting on the situation in the SVR zone.
— By creating this fortified area in the Seversk area and in the city itself, the enemy hoped that we would get bogged down there in the assault on this city and thus he would be able to hold back our offensive. The enemy did not succeed, but you succeeded in everything that you planned and everything that you had in mind," Vladimir Putin responded to this news.
According to him, the liberation of Seversk and successful offensive actions in this direction "significantly bring closer a new, successful offensive in other directions and the expulsion of Ukrainian armed formations from our territory, the restoration of peaceful life on the land of Donbass."
Full control over Seversk is of great importance, military experts say. For a long time, the city served as a key fortified area for the Ukrainian army, located on dominant heights. These positions allowed the Ukrainian Armed Forces to conduct effective artillery shelling of Russian positions and control vast areas. Now the situation on this sector of the front has changed dramatically, military expert Dmitry Boltenkov believes.
— Firstly, it is now extremely difficult for Ukrainian formations to hide equipment and conduct targeted fire, which significantly reduces their defensive potential. Secondly, the Ukrainian Armed Forces garrison in Seversk suffered serious losses, and the remaining units, apparently, are withdrawing in disarray. Thirdly, at the current stage, Kiev does not have full—fledged reserves in this particular area in order to quickly close the gap in the defense line," he explained to Izvestia.
From a military point of view, Seversk opens a direct path to the external line of defense of the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration. The further logic of the Russian troops' actions is likely to be to move west and southwest from Seversk to the borders covering the strategically important cities of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.
— We can expect that our army will methodically "squeeze out" the enemy, actively using fire superiority: artillery, MLRS and drones to defeat the newly occupied positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the nearest heights, — Dmitry Boltenkov believes.
For Kiev, the loss of such an important fortified area is a sensitive blow not only to the general defense in Donbass, but also to the morale of the personnel. The Ukrainian Armed Forces units remaining near Seversk and trying to withdraw in small groups risk falling into an operational environment, the expert summed up.
Seversk, located in the northwestern part of Donbass, has always had important logistical and defensive importance. The city is located in close proximity to key settlements in the region: just 15 km from Lisichansk, about 30 km from Artemovsk (Bakhmut) and 25 km from Slavyansk.
What is happening in the free zone
During the meeting, Vladimir Putin noted the good dynamics in all areas and stressed that the territories of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions are being liberated progressively and rhythmically, and the strategic initiative is fully in the hands of the Russian Armed Forces.
Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a videoconference meeting on the situation in the free trade zone.
—In the North group's area of responsibility, the main efforts are focused on increasing the depth of the security zone in the border areas of Sumy and Kharkiv regions of Ukraine," Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, said in his report.
Last week, our troops expanded control over territories in areas south and southwest of Yunakovka, Sumy region, as well as south of Volchansk, Kharkiv region. The Estuary has been liberated, and fighting is underway for the village of Vilcha, he said.
— After the liberation of Kupyansk, the Zapad group of troops continues fighting to defeat the encircled enemy east of the city, on the left bank of the Oskol River. Squeezing the encirclement ring, the assault units liberated the settlements of Kucherovka and Kurilovka," stressed the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
According to him, active operations are continuing in the Krasnolimansky and Rubtsovsky directions, where the goal is to capture the large railway junction and logistics center Krasny Liman, as well as the settlements of Drobyshevo and Yarovaya.
The assault units of the southern group are fighting in the city of Konstantinovka. Already 45% of the buildings in this settlement are under the control of Russian forces.
The Center group of troops is destroying encircled formations east of Krasnoarmeysk, which has completely come under our control. The 2nd Army has liberated the village of Rovnaya, and fighting is underway in Svetly. In Dimitrov, the entire southern part has been liberated, and clashes have moved to the center, north and northeast of the city. The formations of this group are also successfully advancing in the Dnipropetrovsk region, where battles are underway for the liberation of Novopavlovka.
The troops of the Vostok group, having crossed the Gaichur River in several areas, are developing an offensive in the south of the Dnipropetrovsk region and in the eastern part of Zaporizhia. Street fighting continues in Gulyai-Pole. In the Zaporizhia direction, the troops of the Dnepr group liberated Novodanilovka. Fighting continues for the village of Primorskoye and the destruction of the enemy encircled in Stepnogorsk.
The current tactics of fighting have changed, military expert Vasily Dandykin explained to Izvestia. Now the main tool of our units has become the "firing rampart" with the massive use of artillery and drones. This approach allows you to pass through fortified areas and approach larger cities by using flanking attacks.
— The overall situation is being formed against the background of external pressure on Ukraine, where Western partners are demanding decisions on further actions. In this context, the increasing attempts of massive UAV attacks on Russian territory should also be considered, most of which were successfully repelled. For example, the recent attempt to attack Moscow with 300 UAVs. Such "outrages" will be met with an adequate response," the expert explained.
Vasily Dandykin believes that in December we will hear more reports about the liberation of important settlements such as Dimitrov, Gulyai Pole and Stepnogorsk, which will consolidate the successes achieved.
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