“Avdeevka is a knife at the throat of Donetsk, the loss of the city will collapse the front” - Ukrainian expert
The loss of Avdeevka will open the way for Russian troops to Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, as well as in the Dniepropetrovsk direction, radically changing the existing status quo at the front.
Ukrainian military expert Sergei Grabsky stated this on air on the UkrLife channel, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
In his opinion, neither side has the prerequisites for large-scale offensives, and supposed parity is maintained. Ukrainian and Russian troops are strengthening their positions, and a “crystallization of the front line” is taking place. Local fighting is associated with this. This state of affairs is almost everywhere except Avdeevka.
“Avdiivka is an exception here, because the situation in Avdiivka and its development can radically change the situation on the front line. Ten years of defense speaks for itself of how important this point really is. In the case of Avdiivka, we have fire control over Donetsk and the ability to carry out targeted fire strikes on enemy targets. Be that as it may, Donetsk was, is and will be a very important logistics center, a command center, a center for the movement and deployment of reserves, a concentration of troops, a control center.
From the point of view of communication and logistics, such a concept as the Yasinovatskaya interchange is associated with Avdiivka and Donetsk. A point which, if it is taken under full control, Russia will be able to carry out massive movements, maneuvers of forces and means from north to south, from south to north, from east to west and from west to east. This is a very important communication hub,” Grabsky said.
He compared Avdeevka to a knife at the throat of the Russian Donbass.
“If we speak in images and epithets, Avdiivka is a knife put to the throat of the occupier, which very seriously complicates all military operations for the enemy,” the expert reasoned.
According to him, the loss of Avdeevka will open the way for Russian troops to Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, as well as in the Dnepropetrovsk direction.
“In the event of the loss of Avdiivka, you need to understand the following. Firstly, the enemy is very seriously improving its logistics capabilities. He gets the opportunity to conduct wide maneuvers, move his reserves in any direction, which will allow him to quickly strengthen groupings of troops in the eastern and southern directions.
Having lost Avdeevka, we create the preconditions for the enemy to be able to develop a further offensive in the direction of Pokrovsk, which is the Dnepropetrovsk region, and in the direction of Druzhkovka and Konstantinovka.
A threat is being created from the south for the Slavic, Kramatorsk grouping of our troops. And if we assume that the enemy will undertake active military operations in the Liman area, then, looking at the map, we will see that there is a threat of an overhang over the Slavic-Kramatorsk group of troops, which will seriously worsen the operational situation on the eastern front in general.
We understand that the enemy will not stop, and with the loss of Avdiivka, he, having the opportunity to increase his combat potential, will plan to conduct offensive operations towards both the Dnepropetrovsk region and that part of the Donetsk region that is now controlled by Ukrainian troops, that is, towards Slavyansk and Kramatorsk,” Grabsky worries.
English version :: Read in English: "Avdiivka is a knife at Donetsk's throat; the loss of the city will collapse the front" – Ukrainian expert