The Russians want to capture two cities in the near future: their offensives will intensify there, - ISW
Date: 2024-09-06 Author: Кирило Загоруйко Categories: WAR
The invading army has significantly intensified its offensives in the Ugledar area and has so far achieved minor tactical successes in this area. The enemy wants to increase pressure on the Defense Forces and create conditions for further successes in the Pokrovsk direction.
As reported by ISW, the occupiers want to eliminate the wide salient of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to the west and southwest of Donetsk and advance to the H-15 highway (Donetsk - Zaporozhye) and along it.
According to analysts, the coordinated assaults of the invaders from the southern flank in the Pokrovsk direction on the western flank of the Ukrainian Armed Forces defense around Vuhledar are likely aimed at increasing the pressure on the Ukrainians defending in the west of the Donetsk region and creating conditions for further success in the Pokrovsk direction.
At the same time, the intensification of assaults near Vuhledar will not reduce the pace of operations in other places in the west of the Donetsk region.
On September 4, the Ukrainian airborne brigade operating southwest of Donetsk showed a video of repelling an intensified Russian mechanized attack consisting of four tanks and 17 armored combat vehicles near Konstantinovka.
The occupiers intensified offensive operations near Vuhledar shortly after the beginning of the expansion of the southern flank of the Pokrovsk salient. This suggests that the enemy is planning to conduct mutually reinforcing offensive operations on the southern flank of the Pokrovsk direction, immediately west of Donetsk, along the 0-0532 highway, and near Vuhledar.
ISW suggests that the Russians are planning to capture Kurakhovo and Vuhledar to allow Russian forces to more quickly gain tactical advantages before and along the H-15 highway, although they will face difficulties.
The Russian military command continues to prioritize offensive actions on Pokrovsk, and will consider the intensification of the offensive in the west of Donetsk region as a secondary task.
With these secondary efforts, the invaders, regardless of their success, want to consolidate Ukrainian forces in the western part of the Donetsk region and prevent them from transferring reinforcements to strengthen the defense of Pokrovsk.
However, the Russians will not be able to maintain the initiative in the entire East for a long time, and the repeated intensification of offensive actions in the Donetsk region, in addition to the constant operational pressure caused by the Ukrainian Armed Forces' invasion of the Kursk region, will probably lead to the occupiers' offensive operations reaching a climax earlier than their military command plans.
