Russian forces are advancing in eastern Ukraine. Among other things, the attackers have captured the city of Sievjerodonetsk, which is considered strategically important. But it is not Putin’s troops who are ultimately benefiting, according to a US institute.
According to their own statements, Russian and pro-Russian fighters have conquered several settlements in the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk. Ten towns have been “liberated” in the past few days, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in Moscow on Friday.
At the same time, the Luhansk separatists showed the hoisting of a Soviet flag on the building of the city administration of Zolote, which is located south of the embattled city of Lysychansk. According to them, the Ukrainian troops located in the Hirske-Solote pocket were “liquidated”. There was initially no confirmation from the Ukrainian side.
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The Ukrainian military confirmed the withdrawal from the last contested city of Sievjerodonetsk in the east of the country. “After the retreat of units of our troops, the enemy got stuck in Sieverodonetsk,” the General Staff announced in Kyiv on Saturday evening. The capture of the former metropolis is considered an important step in conquering the entire Donbass region. The Russian Ministry of Defense expressed its pride accordingly.
What sounds like bad news for Ukraine could actually turn out to be a strategic advantage. At least that’s how the renowned American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assesses the situation in a recent report. According to the American think tank, Ukrainian forces essentially achieved their goal in the battle by slowing down Russian forces.
For weeks, Ukrainian troops have managed to attract significant amounts of Russian personnel, weapons and equipment into the area. This is likely to have weakened the overall capabilities of the Russian armed forces. Russian offensive operations would likely grind to a halt in the coming weeks, the text’s authors further analyze. Thus, the Ukrainian armed forces would have the opportunity to launch counterattacks.
The ISW therefore does not really see the Russian army’s gains as an advantage. They conclude: “The loss of Severodonetsk is a loss for Ukraine in the sense that any territory captured by Russian forces is a loss – but the Battle of Severodonetsk will not mean a decisive Russian victory.”
