That look on the Commander-in-Chief’s face and his emphatic pointing at the illuminated theater map they’re standing on seem to say “Let’s finish it. Now. Time for the last round up.” The now three salients in which the Ukrainians have trapped the Russians at Pokrovsk-Dobropililya have lingered long enough.
A river and a major critical highway runs through it. And it would appear the longer the Ukrainians let the salients linger the more opportunities the Russians might have to “resupply” their trapped troops by drones, etc., or create “confusing scenarios” to enable a break out or even another Russian advance. It is now obvious that the remnants of the Russians trapped in the salients are not going to all give up. Some have surrendered but there is still a sizable number hunkered down. They have even tried to fight their way out only to be trapped again along the Kazennyi Torets River:
Syrsky announced a trap for the Russian army in the Pokrovsky direction
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky officially confirmed that in the Pokrov direction, the Russian invaders, who were trying to expand the front, found themselves trapped.
Against the backdrop of recent events, Ukrainian soldiers quickly transferred several military units to cut off enemy groups along the barrier line — the Kazennyi Torets River.
news.online.ua/...
The Kazennyi Torets is a tributary of the Siverskyi Donets River. It originates near the village of Lozuvatske, close to Pokrovsk, and travels northward approximately 88 km (55 miles) through cities including Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk before emptying into the Siverskyi Donets near the town of Raihorodok.
If you have been following the back and forth of the war in Northwestern Donetsk or are familiar with the geography of the area, the cities named above would be familiar, too. Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk are the three main industrial cities in Northwest Donetsk oblast that Putin and the Russians are gunning for in their bid to capture all of Donetsk oblast. Those cities together with Kostyantinivka are known as Ukraine’s “Fortress Belt” in Donetsk. Therefore if the Russians were to succeed in creating a line of advance along the Kazennyi Torets, that would be hugely problematic for Ukraine. Best to nip that in the bud … like right now.
Up till now the Ukrainian forces in and around Pokrovsk-Dobropililya have been loathe to mount heavy infantry attacks on the trapped Russians. The preservation of the lives of soldiers is a key consideration for Ukraine. They don’t do “meat assault”, opting for maneuver as much as possible. But I think General Syrskyi believes the time has come to eliminate even the remote possibility that the Russians might get lucky, break out and forge a serious advance along the Kazennyi Torets.
And it is not just the river that poses a threat. From the key city of Myrnohrad just east of Pokrovsk, the river follows along the critical highway T-05-04(later turns into H-20) through the recently liberated towns of Novoekonomichne, Olesandro Kalynove on through Ivanivske, Chasiv Yar onto Kostyantinivka, Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk, and Sloviansk .
Recent military reports describe the strategic interplay between the highway and the river. Ukrainian forces have used the Kazennyi Torets as a "barrier line" against advancing Russian forces in the area of Pokrovsk. Concurrently, Russian advances toward the T-05-04 highway have been viewed as a threat to Ukrainian logistics in the region. And at least one report indicates Ukrainian forces recently used a damaged bridge on the T-05-04 road to trap Russian armor, further illustrating the military significance of how the highway and river interact geographically. The importance of the Kazennyi Torets and the T-05-04 highway for Ukrainian logistics cannot be overstated:
The highway[T-05-04] is one of several critical major supply arteries for some of the last Ukrainian-held cities in Donbas, the main route from the southwest. There are rural and major roads to the north that can be used as alternatives. Still, it's a main road that was in the past used to connect Pokrovsk, a supply hub to the west, with three of the largest Donbas cities still held by Ukraine: Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk, and nearby Sloviansk.
kyivindependent.com/…
Something big is coming on the Pokrovsk-Dobropililya line. ADAPTIVE INDOMITABLE UKRAINE looks set to soon clear out the salients at Pokrovsk-Dobropililya. It could get nasty but it has to be done. The time has come for the last round up if those trapped Russians refuse to come out with their hands reaching for the sky. It is time to end that play. And for Ukraine to devote her scarce resources to other pressing fronts instead of guarding a gigantic cacer full of recalcitrant Russian soldiers … General Oleksandr Syrskyi appears to be saying just as much to his young and very able commanders.
SLAVA UKRAINI ! PEREMOHA(Victory) !!
