While Ukrainian men are running away from the country, Russians are going to defend Donbass
By svpressa - Konstantin Olshansky - 18 August 2024
The Toretsk direction is one of the priorities for the Russian offensive. The attack of Ukrainian militants on the Kursk region, contrary to the unfounded forecasts of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, did not force the Russian command to transfer forces from Donbass.
American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) writes that Russian troops have advanced in recent days in several areas around Toretsk: in Druzhba, New York, Ozaryanovka, Nelipovka, Sukha Balka, Zaliznoye, Pivnichnoye, and Yuryevka.
On August 15, information emerged that Russian troops had finally liberated Zaliznoye, and the next day, the mine waste heaps on the southwestern outskirts of Pivnichnoye. Vasily Chinik , the head of the military administration of Toretsk appointed by the Kiev regime , stated that Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups were actively operating in the city.
The 1st and 132nd motorized rifle brigades (1st army corps of the DPR) are fighting in the Zaliznoye area. And in the New York area, units of the recently restored 51st army, part of the Center group of forces, are operating.Read also
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As indicated in the ISW analysis, the new army included the 132nd Motorized Rifle Brigade, as well as the legendary Sparta and Somali battalions (previously part of the 1st Army Corps of the DPR). The new army was also presumably replenished with the 9th Motorized Rifle Brigade.
The Russian Defense Ministry has not officially announced the re-establishment of the army (the 51st Army existed until 1992), so all reports from Western sources are nothing more than assumptions. The 51st Army was first reported in June by the press secretary of the Ukrainian Armed Forces âKharkovâ group, Colonel Yuriy Povkh : allegedly, a motorized rifle brigade included in it is being transferred to the Kharkov section of the front. At that time, American experts from ISW denied the existence of the 51st Army. However, now they confirm it.
âThe Russian Armed Forces are currently undergoing large-scale reforms, including the creation of new combined arms formations at the army level,â the Americans write in an analytical note.
The successes of the Russian army are forcing Ukrainians to flee mobilization. Ukrainian men understand that the road to the front is a one-way ticket, and are ready to pay any amount of money for help in illegally leaving the country, writes The Washington Post.
Smugglers who help people cross the border charge more than $5,000 per person. Washington Post journalist Isabel Khurshudyan was told several telling stories. One man was taken by bus with others into the forest. Then balaclava-wearing guides led them on foot across the fence at the Hungarian border.
Another man said he and two dozen others walked more than 15 kilometers through difficult terrain, past border posts, drones, and even service dogs. One man was unable to keep up, fell behind, and became lost in the forest.
Those caught often face the very thing they hoped to avoid: military service.
âAt some point, I realized that I wouldnât be able to make my own decisions about whether to mobilize or not, that I wouldnât be able to decide the fate of my freedom,â Alexander, 37, who paid $8,000 for help crossing the border, told The Washington Post.Read also
Our troops went to Kupyansk in force: Due to the Kursk adventure, the Ukrainian Armed Forcesâ retreat on other fronts acceleratedBut the Ukrainian army suffered the most in the Pokrovsk direction.
According to Alexander, after illegally crossing the border in Transnistria, he was taken to a hotel in Chisinau, where the trip coordinator arranged for someone to take Alexanderâs passport and stamp it, making it appear that he had entered Moldova legally. Alexander then boarded a plane to Germany, unsure whether he would ever return to Ukraine.
Border guards in Ukraineâs neighbors are exchanging information with the Kyiv regime about the tactics people use to cross the border illegally. But authorities in neighboring countries refuse to search for Ukrainian fugitives or deport those they catch.
The terrible lengths Ukrainian men are willing to go to avoid the draft highlight growing tensions in Ukrainian society, The Washington Post reports. While society seems to support the military, no one wants to serve.
The command does not even state how many people are needed to replenish the Ukrainian Armed Forces. But the analytics published by ISW and other military centers show that the Ukrainian units on the front lines are completely exhausted.
They canât even organize a normal rotation, let alone a regrouping. At the same time, the Russian army is increasing the onslaught simultaneously in several directions: Toretsk, Seversk, Chasov-Yarsk, Avdeevsko-Pokrovsk.
The latest news and all the most important things about the special operation in Ukraine are in the âFree Pressâ topic .
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