"Russia has fewer resources, but the same ambitions": military expert Pavlo Lakiichuk on the situation in Donbas

Russian troops viewed Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad as purely military targets to secure their flank and rear in an attempt at a large-scale envelopment of the Ukrainian grouping in Donbas. This was stated to OstroV by the head of security programs at the Center for Global Studies "Strategy XXI", reserve Navy captain of the first rank of Ukraine Pavlo Lakiichuk.

"The russians started with the Dobropillia salient — that was a false start. Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad were needed by the enemy to secure their flank and rear for an enveloping strike into the rear of our grouping in Donbas — Druzhkivka, Kostiantynivka, Kramatorsk — with an advance from the south to the west", - Lakiichuk explained.

According to him, as long as Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad remained under Ukraine’s control, this did not guarantee the enemy a stable rear for implementing such a scenario.

"As long as Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad held, it did not guarantee the enemy a safe rear. Now the fighting continues either on the northern outskirts or in settlements north of Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad. But they currently do not have the capability to repeat that false start with the Dobropillia salient", - he noted.

The expert emphasized that a significant portion of russia’s resources is being spent on attempts to break through Ukrainian defenses, which is changing the nature of their actions.

"Resources are being spent on attempts to break through the defense. Therefore, it seems they are largely shifting the main weight to a frontal offensive", - Lakiichuk said.

At the same time, he noted that despite attempts at envelopment from several directions, this is not a large-scale operation at the strategic level.

"Yes, there are attempts at envelopment from three sides. But this is neither an operational nor a strategic encirclement aimed at surrounding the entire grouping of the Defense Forces in this strategic direction. They obviously have not abandoned their objectives. But their resources are becoming increasingly limited", - the expert concluded.