Meanwhile, there is clear evidence that the Russian army no longer has combat-ready reservists.
The Russian Army, most likely, refused aims to completely surround Ukrainian troops deployed from Donetsk to Izyum. Instead, the occupiers focused on the complete capture of Luhansk region.
This conclusion is made by analysts at the Institute for War Studies (ISW). The head of the Luhansk regional administration, Serhiy Haidai, recently said that the Russian military command most likely understands that it will not be able to capture the Donetsk region. However, it still believes in its ability to reach the administrative border of Luhansk Oblast. ISW experts agree with the Ukrainian official, adding that his observations generally coincide with their analyzes.
Russia's military command is likely to prioritize the battle for Severodonetsk. At the same time, some efforts will be made to undermine Ukrainian land lines in the eastern part of the Donetsk region. Russian forces are continuing a coordinated effort to capture Severodonetsk from the north and south. This will allow the encirclement of Ukrainian troops, but not on the scale that Russian forces originally expected.
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Failure to cross the Seversky Donets River near Kreminna may shift Russian operations aimed at encircling the Armed Forces, further east, closer to Severodonetsk via Rubezhnoye. This means that there will be no wider environment along several axes of the offensive at the same time. The Russian army is also reducing the attack on Sloviansk from Izyum due to the slowdown in operations in this direction.
The Russian forces are likely to have run out of combat-ready reserves. Therefore, the command is forced to form new military units from very diverse elements, including mercenaries and the so-called “militia”. The General Staff of Ukraine said that about 2,500 reservists were being trained in the Belgorod, Voronezh and Rostov regions to support the Russian offensive. ISW experts believe that such a number of reservists will not provide enough forces to replenish Russian forces, which lost up to 20% of their soldiers, not to mention the destroyed battalion tactical groups that participated in the failed attempt to cross the Seversky Donets.
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Russian mercenary groups are forming joint combat units with the remnants of Russia's airborne forces due to heavy casualties. The denaturation of elite airborne forces with the help of mercenaries, according to ISW, is the clearest signal that Russia has run out of combat-ready reservists. The Russian 810th Guards Marine Infantry Brigade is being replenished by sailors from the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Newly formed or regrouped units are unlikely to be effective in combat.
ISW experts also believe that the Russian army is trying to strengthen defenses in the occupied settlements in southern Ukraine. This suggests that Russia is trying to establish permanent control over the region. Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have begun digging trenches and building concrete fortifications in parts of the Mykolayiv and Kherson regions, near Melitopol and in the western part of the Zaporizhia region.
See special topic: < defenders of Mariupol obeyed the order, despite all the difficulties, and hope for support - the commander of "Azov" He wants to save the lives of the Ukrainian military. “I said: everything is fine, there is a lot of work ahead. Life is getting longer,” said the Ukrainian fighter, who lost a leg during the defense of Bucha . On March 3, a group of Ukrainian fighters was surrounded. A Russian shell flew into the complex where she was staying. Hungary already wants up to 18 billion euros for giving up Russian oil Earlier there was talk of 750 million euros. The occupiers are strengthening the grouping of troops by special forces and air defense units in the Slobozhansky direction – the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Currently, the occupiers are preparing for offensive operations Ukrposhta has launched a project that will allow children to express their gratitude to Ukrainian soldiers by sending a picture or postcard Of all the submitted works, 500 pictures will be selected to be converted into NFT, and the proceeds from the auction will be donated to charity
