LUSSYANSK, Ukraine – Russian forces launched an offensive Sunday against a key Ukrainian defensive post near two strategically important eastern cities, Ukrainian military officials said, bringing them one step closer to encircling thousands of Ukrainian troops. Ukrainian forces rushed to the front lines around Toshkivka, a small town southeast of the Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk metropolitan areas. The Russians “succeeded” but were eventually detained, a Ukrainian official said, but the fight highlighted Ukraine’s faltering defenses in two of the last cities in the Donetsk region of Luhansk that are not yet under Russian control. If Moscow’s forces manage to cut off Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk, it could pin down thousands of Ukrainian fighters defending the cities, give Moscow a hard-fought military victory and bring its forces closer to President Vladimir II’s target. to occupy all of eastern Donbass, Ukraine. region. Volunteers called on residents of Lysychansk, Ukraine, to evacuate on Sunday. Credit … Tyler Hicks / The New York Times Ukrainian tanks and several Grad multi-launcher systems were seen pointing in the direction of Toshkivka and other parts of the front line on Sunday afternoon, smoke billowing from their chassis and footsteps on the roads behind them, most likely Russian forces there. A crew member, when asked if his tank was heading towards the Ukrainian defense in that area, smiled and nodded in agreement. As Russian troops move to encircle both cities amid weeks of street battles and artillery duel, Ukrainian forces have retreated and now hold only a small part of Sievierodonetsk. This includes a chemical plant believed to house hundreds of civilians and which has been wiped out by Russian bombing in recent days, Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said on Sunday. Fighting continues in other parts of the area. In the southwest, Ukrainian military officials said Sunday that their troops had successfully repelled an attack in the eastern suburbs of Berestov. The Ukrainian army’s general staff added that Russia was planning another attack on Sloviansk, about 50 miles west of Sievierodonetsk. Russia’s Defense Ministry did not immediately comment on Toshkivka, but said earlier on Sunday that its forces had captured Metolkine, a town just east of Sievierodonetsk. Russia’s state-run Tass news agency reported that several Ukrainian fighters had surrendered there, although the allegations could not be independently verified. Smoke from a fire caused by an artillery shell targeting a Ukrainian checkpoint in Lysychansk, Ukraine, on Sunday. Credit … Tyler Hicks / The New York Times Toshkivka has served as an important part of a defensive wall in what is referred to as the Sievierodonetsk enclave. Located in the Donbass region – an area of rolling plains, farms and coal mining towns where Moscow has devoted most of its military force in recent months – the enclave is about three-quarters surrounded by Russian forces. This has left only a thin gap to the west, where Ukrainian troops are coming and going using village streets often targeted by Russian artillery fire. And Russian troops are crawling forward to fill the gap. If the Ukrainian forces are not able to strengthen the front line in Toshkivka, it means that the Russian forces will have tightened the siege from the south, reducing the area of maneuver for the Ukrainian troops in the pocket. It will also allow Russian forces to threaten the few remaining Ukrainian supply routes to Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this month that the future of much of eastern Ukraine would be decided in the battle for the two cities. Ukraine’s decision to endure the street fighting in Sievierodonetsk was a gamble from the beginning. Its strategy was to fight closely in the city, where Russia could not take advantage of its enormous artillery advantage. But the soldiers in the city, and those who support them in the neighboring town of Lysychansk on the west bank of the Siversky Donets River, are in danger of being surrounded on a daily basis. Residents of Lysychansk are waiting in an evacuation truck on Sunday. Credit … Tyler Hicks / The New York Times Russian artillery lines have hit the streets, bridges and Ukrainian positions with what Ukrainian troops estimate are thousands of shells every day. As risky as it is, Ukraine’s strategy has successfully linked Russian forces and caused casualties, Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Ukraine’s former defense minister, said in an interview Sunday. “Right now, the main goal is to use the window of opportunity we have to fully exhaust the Russians in Donbas,” he said. After all, he added, it is better to fight now than to retreat and fight later in another location further west. “If we were moving, they would move,” said Zagorodnyuk. “We should meet them somewhere. It is not that Putin only wanted Sievierodonetsk. They will continue until they stop. “ – Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Natalia Yermak and Andrew E. Kramer
title: “Live Updates On Ukraine Finland And Sweden Push For Nato Membership " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-07” author: “William Pierce”
LUSSYANSK, Ukraine – Russian forces launched an offensive Sunday against a key Ukrainian defensive post near two strategically important eastern cities, Ukrainian military officials said, bringing them one step closer to encircling thousands of Ukrainian troops. Ukrainian forces rushed to the front lines around Toshkivka, a small town southeast of the Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk metropolitan areas. The Russians “succeeded” but were eventually detained, a Ukrainian official said, but the fight highlighted Ukraine’s faltering defenses in two of the last cities in the Donetsk region of Luhansk that are not yet under Russian control. If Moscow’s forces manage to cut off Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk, it could pin down thousands of Ukrainian fighters defending the cities, give Moscow a hard-fought military victory and bring its forces closer to President Vladimir II’s target. to occupy all of eastern Donbass, Ukraine. region. Volunteers called on residents of Lysychansk, Ukraine, to evacuate on Sunday. Credit … Tyler Hicks / The New York Times Ukrainian tanks and several Grad multi-launcher systems were spotted heading towards Toshkivka and other parts of the front line on Sunday afternoon, smoke billowing from their chassis and their footsteps making their way back to a possible Russian forces there. A crew member, when asked if his tank was heading towards the Ukrainian defense in that area, smiled and nodded in agreement. As Russian troops move to encircle both cities amid weeks of street battles and artillery duel, Ukrainian forces have retreated and now hold only a small part of Sievierodonetsk. This includes a chemical plant believed to house hundreds of civilians and which has been wiped out by Russian bombing in recent days, Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said on Sunday. Fighting continues in other parts of the area. In the southwest, Ukrainian military officials said Sunday that their troops had successfully repelled an attack in the eastern suburbs of Berestov. The Ukrainian army’s general staff added that Russia was planning another attack on Sloviansk, about 50 miles west of Sievierodonetsk. Russia’s Defense Ministry did not immediately comment on Toshkivka, but said earlier on Sunday that its forces had captured Metolkine, a town just east of Sievierodonetsk. Russia’s state-run Tass news agency reported that several Ukrainian fighters had surrendered there, although the allegations could not be independently verified. Smoke from a fire caused by an artillery shell targeting a Ukrainian checkpoint in Lysychansk, Ukraine, on Sunday. Credit … Tyler Hicks / The New York Times Toshkivka has served as an important part of a defensive wall in what is referred to as the Sievierodonetsk enclave. Located in the Donbass region – an area of rolling plains, farms and coal mining towns where Moscow has devoted most of its military force in recent months – the enclave is about three-quarters surrounded by Russian forces. This has left only a thin gap to the west, where Ukrainian troops are coming and going using village streets often targeted by Russian artillery fire. And Russian troops are crawling forward to fill the gap. If the Ukrainian forces are not able to strengthen the front line in Toshkivka, it means that the Russian forces will have tightened the siege from the south, reducing the area of maneuver for the Ukrainian troops in the pocket. It will also allow Russian forces to threaten the few remaining Ukrainian supply routes to Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this month that the future of much of eastern Ukraine would be decided in the battle for the two cities. Ukraine’s decision to endure the street fighting in Sievierodonetsk was a gamble from the beginning. Its strategy was to fight closely in the city, where Russia could not take advantage of its enormous artillery advantage. But the soldiers in the city, and those who support them in the neighboring town of Lysychansk on the west bank of the Siversky Donets River, are in danger of being surrounded on a daily basis. Residents of Lysychansk are waiting in an evacuation truck on Sunday. Credit … Tyler Hicks / The New York Times Russian artillery lines have hit the streets, bridges and Ukrainian positions with what Ukrainian troops estimate are thousands of shells every day. As risky as it is, Ukraine’s strategy has successfully linked Russian forces and caused casualties, Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Ukraine’s former defense minister, said in an interview Sunday. “Right now, the main goal is to use the window of opportunity we have to fully exhaust the Russians in Donbas,” he said. After all, he added, it is better to fight now than to retreat and fight later in another location further west. “If we were moving, they would move,” said Zagorodnyuk. “We should meet them somewhere. It is not that Putin only wanted Sievierodonetsk. They will continue until they stop. “ – Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Natalia Yermak and Andrew E. Kramer
