Russian troops are slowly advancing in eastern Ukraine: the Ukrainian defenders concede that the attackers had locally limited offensive successes east of Bakhmut. The front is approaching the two major Ukrainian cities of Slovjansk and Kramatorsk.
According to Ukrainian sources, the Russian armed forces have made further gains in the fighting for the Donbass in eastern Ukraine. “The enemy launched an assault in the Pokrovske area, was partially successful and is establishing itself on the southern outskirts of the village,” the Ukrainian General Staff said in its situation report.
The embattled town of Pokrovske (see map) is a settlement ten kilometers east of the important transport hub of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. Bakhmut was officially called Artemivsk until 2016 and is still listed under the old name from Soviet times on older maps. The Siwersk – Soledar – Bakhmut line is considered to be Ukraine’s next line of defense in front of the conurbation around the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
According to their own statements, the Ukrainian military has succeeded in repelling Russian attacks on other front sections in the Donbass. The most recent Russian offensives were unsuccessful both north of Slovjansk and east of Siwersk. “The Ukrainian fighters inflicted significant losses on the occupiers,” sources in Kyiv said.
Russia invaded Ukraine at the end of February. In addition to the Luhansk region, the Russian army is also aiming to conquer the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. In the south of Ukraine, in the Kherson region, the General Staff reports artillery and tank battles without changing the front line. Ukrainian rocket attacks against the Antonivka Bridge east of Kherson threaten the rear of the Russian forces.
Should the Dnieper Bridge be destroyed, the Kremlin’s armed forces in the region would have to prepare for massive supply problems: The Antonivka Bridge is by far the most important road connection over the Dnieper River in southern Ukraine. Seen from Cherson, the next passable bridge is a good 50 kilometers upstream at Nowa Kakhovka. There, a solid dam enables the Dnepr crossing. The result would be time-consuming detours.
Without the Antonivka Bridge, the Russian supply columns would otherwise have only one narrow railway bridge to supply the fighting units with ammunition and food in the Cherson area, which is now also within range of Ukrainian artillery.
