Ukrainian forces are taking up defensive positions in the country's east, preparing for a tough new phase of the war as Russian President Vladimir Putin declared victory in the months-long battle for Luhansk.
Russia's capture of the city of Lysichansk on Sunday ended one of Europe's biggest battles in generations, in which Moscow used all its ground power to capture Lugansk, one of two regions it is asking Ukraine to hand over to separatists in the mineral-rich Donbas region, according to Reuters.
During a short televised interview with the Minister of Defense, Vladimir Putin congratulated the Russian forces on "victories in the direction of Luhansk". Those who participated in the battle "absolutely need to rest and regain military readiness", while other units will continue fighting in other areas, Putin said.
The conquest of the cities of Severodonetsk and Lisichansk is not only Russia's biggest victory since it captured the southern port of Mariupol at the end of May, but as the "New York Times" points out, it also demonstrates the success of the new Russian strategy based on superior firepower and gradual advancement.
Russia began to apply this strategy after the defeat in Kiev, where Russian troops underestimated the readiness of the Ukrainians to fight and deployed troops and tanks too quickly with little support. Now, Russian troops rarely advance without heavy support - often in the form of artillery - giving Moscow an advantage over the lesser-armed Ukrainians, the paper said.
Ukrainian officials claim their goal is to wear down the Russians by forcing them to fight for towns, as was the case in Severodonetsk and, to a lesser extent, Lisichansk. However, the New York Times points out that there are growing doubts about whether such an approach is working, given that Russian forces have captured both cities and are now in a position to advance further to the southwest.
It took 60 days for little progress. I think the Russians can claim some sort of victory, but the key battle in this war is yet to come. The battle for Donbas will not be a key strategic battle for Ukraine, that battle will probably take place in the south of the country, said Neil Melvin.
Serhii Gaidai, the Ukrainian governor of Luhansk, admitted that his entire province is now practically in Russian hands, but he told Reuters: "We need to win the war, not the battle for Lysichansk... This hurts a lot, but it does not mean that we are losing war.”
Gaidaj said that Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from Lisichansk and are now holding the line between Bakmut and Slovyansk in Donetsk, preparing to prevent further Russian advances.
Lisichansk, neighboring Severodonetsk and surrounding towns - with numerous factories that served as bunkers for the defenders - were razed to the ground in the Russian attacks.
Some military experts say that precisely those battles can be a turning point in the war - not because of the strategic importance of the destroyed cities - but because of the losses on both sides.
"I think it's a tactical victory for Russia, but at a huge cost," Neil Melvin of the RUSI organization in London told Reuters, comparing this type of warfare to the huge battles over a small territory that were typical of the First World War.
"It took 60 days for a little progress," he said. "I think the Russians can claim some sort of victory, but the key battle in this war is yet to come. The battle for Donbas will not be a key strategic battle for Ukraine, that battle will probably take place in the south of the country," he said.
Ukrainian soldiers said Russian rocket fire lasted about five days before Russian forces began testing Ukrainian lines with soldiers and tanks.
It is obvious that the conflicts have exhausted both sides, the "New York Times" points out. Ukrainian officials estimate that their forces are suffering hundreds of casualties a day, and Western intelligence services report that the number of casualties and injuries on the Russian side is at a similar level.
Ukrainian forces are increasingly relying on less well-trained soldiers such as those from the Territorial Defense Forces and the National Guard to supplement the ranks of depleted units on the front lines. Russia, on the other hand, is relying on Wagner's paramilitary units, pro-Moscow Chechen forces and separatist fighters from Lugansk and Donetsk to bolster forces, according to Western intelligence.
Both Russia and Ukraine have rejected allegations of falling morale in their ranks, occasionally posting motivational videos on social media to refute claims that anyone in the trenches is exhausted.
However, the "New York Times" points out that this type of fighting - artillery war - causes intense psychological trauma, which was often the case in the First World War. Ukrainian officers, especially in the reserve units, worry that their soldiers are suffering from stress in addition to having a large number of injured and killed by enemy fire.
Kiev has repeatedly asked the West to send more weapons and ammunition. While a large amount of Western weaponry has arrived on the front lines and has proven effective in combat, notably the recently delivered HIMARS multiple launch system from the United States, much more is needed for Ukraine's long-term success on the battlefield.
Ukrainian troops have also had communication problems, but they usually know where the Russians will advance because of the amount of artillery fire in an area that precedes a breakthrough attempt.
For both sides, air support was mostly in the background, and occasionally it was even absent in the conflicts in Donbass. Both Russia and Ukraine have air defense systems deployed in the east, meaning most aircraft and helicopters would have to fly dangerously low to provide maximum support to ground forces. In such circumstances, Russian forces use cruise missiles to target key infrastructure behind the front lines.
While Russia is now turning its forces from Lugansk towards the neighboring province of Donetsk in the Donbass, it remains unclear where and when the war could end, according to the "New York Times".
Russia's original war aims went far beyond the Donbass and the seizure of the Luhansk region and likely included changing the government or at least reorienting the western orientation of former Soviet Ukraine, said Rob Lee of the US Institute for Foreign Policy Studies. They also included the "demilitarization" of Ukraine. "It is clear that at the beginning of the war, Russia had much more ambitious goals," he told Reuters.
In an indication of the violence that will most likely engulf Donetsk in the coming weeks, Mayor Slovjanska said that at least six people, including a ten-year-old girl, were killed in fierce rocket attacks on Sunday.
"Today, the Russian army again brutally shelled" Slovyansk and the nearby city of Karamatorsk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an address during the night. Ukraine will defend itself with long-range missile launchers arriving from the US, but the Russians have “now amassed the largest firepower in the Donbass. They can use tens of thousands of artillery rockets every day on one part of the front.
"We will build walls, we will recover the land, and above all, people must be protected, said Zelenski.
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