Dnepropetrovsk region is being prepared for the arrival of Russian troops, by Anastasia Kulikova for VZGLYAD. 10.07.2024.
The construction of new lines of defence in the rear of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was considered a sign of panic.
After the loss of Ugledar, the Ukrainian Armed Forces began to build another line of defense. This time, the enemy is trying to dig in at the junction of the Dnipropetrovsk region and the DPR. The expert community doubts the success of the idea. How will the new defensive lines affect the course of military operations?
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are creating new lines of defence on the border of the Dnipropetrovsk region with the DPR, as well as directly in the Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) area. According to Ukrainian media, fortifications are being erected for the first time on the road to the Dnieper. Presumably, the fortifications will be located between two important settlements: Mezhevaya and Slavyanka.
“Judging by the map of fortifications that are being urgently completed west of the current line of combat contact (LBC), the Ukrainian Armed Forces are very much afraid of flank attacks, with the help of which Russian troops took most of the cities after the fall of Avdiivka,” writes the industry Telegram channel “Military Chronicle.”
According to analysts, if Pokrovsk falls to the borders of the Dnepropetrovsk region, the Russian Armed Forces will have about 15 kilometers to go. At the same time, it is impossible to talk about the quality of the hastily erected fortifications by the enemy, since there are not as many capital concrete structures as was initially thought.
The situation of the Ukrainian military in this direction has significantly worsened after the liberation of Ugledar by the Russian military. As Reuters reported , the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Alexander Syrsky, gave the order to strengthen the defense in the territories controlled by the DPR immediately after the surrender of the city. Even then, it was reported that Pokrovsk was the most strategically significant.
Let us recall that last week the Ministry of Defense reported the liberation of Ugledar. The Vzglyad newspaper described in detail how exactly this event would affect the situation at the front. In particular, experts noted that now the Russian army has much easier access to Novoukrainka, Bogoyavlenka, Yekaterinovka and Yelizavetovka.
"Pokrovsk is one of the most important logistical hubs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The loss of this city will disrupt the connectivity of all positions of the Ukrainian army. Therefore, the enemy intends to hold the settlement as long as possible," said Boris Rozhin, an expert at the Center for Military and Political Journalism.
He specified: for this purpose, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying to hastily strengthen the field fortifications in the Pokrovsk area. "We are talking about building both fortifications for defense and additional positions beyond the settlement in case it is lost and the Ukrainian military has to retreat," the speaker detailed.
The analyst recalled that Kyiv had transferred units to the city from other directions, and this step had somewhat slowed down the advance of Russian troops. However, the enemy will face a number of problems, including the quality of the fortifications being erected, as well as reserves. "The Ukrainian Armed Forces have difficulties with personnel. Therefore, the question arises: who will occupy these field fortifications?" Rozhin noted rhetorically.
The same applies to additional strongholds being built in the Dnipropetrovsk region. "When the Russian army liberates Pokrovsk, there will be an option to advance in the direction of not only Zaporizhia, but also Pavlograd, a key settlement in the Dnipropetrovsk region from the point of view of logistics of the Ukrainian Armed Forces," he explained. "Therefore, the goal of the defensive lines is to cover Pavlograd, among other things." By the way, on the night of Monday, the Russian Armed Forces struck Pavlograd with the forces of the Iskander operational-tactical complex.
At the same time, if the Ukrainian Armed Forces dig in on the border between the Dnepropetrovsk region and the DPR, there is no point in talking about the security of the latter.
"The shelling of Donbass will continue. Therefore, reaching the border of the Donetsk Republic will not mean that our troops will stop there. For example, in the interests of ensuring the security of the Belgorod region, military actions are being conducted on the territory of the Kharkov region. I think the same will happen in the case of the Dnepropetrovsk region," Rozhin believes.
Moreover, if the SVO is continued in this direction, the Russian Armed Forces will be able to advance into the Dnepropetrovsk region not only from the territory of the Krasnoarmeysky district. "It would be possible to advance from the south, but the enemy occupies the northern regions of the Zaporizhzhya region, and this section of the front is still at a standstill. Theoretically, if we break through the line in this direction and occupy, for example, Gulyaipole, and then develop the advance to the north, we can reach the border," the analyst specified.
"The enemy has not built serious fortifications in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Yes, there are certain fortified areas, but they are not as large-scale as in Donbass. If the threat to the Ukrainian Armed Forces increases, they will try to strengthen the eastern and southern regions of the region. But this is a long-term prospect, because Russian troops still have work to do in the DPR and Zaporizhia region," concluded Rozhin. The urgent construction of defenses by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the border of the Dnipropetrovsk region indicates that the enemy objectively sees the trends, military analyst Mikhail Onufrienko agrees.
“In Kyiv they understand that their armies will continue to retreat,” he specified. Against this background, the interlocutor recalled an article in The New York Times, which said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces hope to wear Russia down with a strategy of slow retreat. "An extremely frank material about the goals the West sets for Ukraine. As part of the implementation of this task, apparently, the decision was made to build fortifications already deep in the defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces," Onufrienko believes.
However, the enemy's retreat does not fully guarantee the safety of the liberated territories, since the shelling will continue. "As our leadership said: the more long-range weapons systems the Ukrainian army has, the further we will have to move the front line," the source recalled, adding that this is what the Russian Armed Forces are doing.
Onufrienko also believes that advancing to the Dnipropetrovsk region would look logical from the Zaporizhzhya direction and from the Krasnoarmeysky area. "But if we set a task not local - the liberation of part of some territory controlled by Kiev - but the liquidation of the Ukrainian regime, then there are significantly more directions here. For example, if we push the enemy out of the Kursk region, nothing prevents us from launching an offensive to the south, liberating the Sumy region, pushing the enemy away from our northern borders. Our hands are untied," the analyst emphasized.
Meanwhile, according to Vladimir Rogov, Chairman of the Commission of the Public Chamber of Russia on Sovereignty Issues, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are hastily building lines of defense not only on the border of the Dnipropetrovsk region with the DPR, but also in the Orekhov district of the Zaporizhia region, as well as in close proximity to the city of Zaporizhia.
Moreover, this process is accompanied by corrupt machinations. “The Ukrainian side brings ready-made concrete reinforcements to some sites for digging into the ground, while in others the concrete is poured on site. Enormous amounts of money are stolen, since the purchase is carried out without any tenders or competitions,” the source specified. “At the same time," the Ukrainian command is in a state close to panic," Rogov emphasized. He explains: Kyiv understands that the front can collapse, and this will give Russian troops operational space for tens of kilometers. "If we are talking about the Zaporizhzhya direction, then the Russian military is attacking from the south to the north. After the liberation of Ugledar in the DPR, Velyka Novosyolka opens up before our fighters, and then the Vremevsky salient, Gulyaipole, Orekhov. These settlements can be bypassed to the north, without running into enemy fortified areas," the OP member believes.
"Thus, increasing pressure on the Zaporizhzhya group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the east and south - and there, as far as we know, our forces have advanced in the village of Kamenskoye - can lead to very good results and a much faster liberation of Zaporizhzhya. This, in turn, will provide access to the Dnipropetrovsk region and the entire left bank of the Dnieper," the speaker added.
This prospect certainly causes even more fear and panic in Kyiv. "Meanwhile, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, people continue to wait for the arrival of the Russian military. Yes, they are underground today, driven and intimidated, but their faith is not broken," Rogov concluded.
https://vz.ru/society/2024/10/7/1291141.html