Russian troops have moved closer to Sloviansk and Kramatorsk — Taipei Times
Ukraine is preparing for several months of fierce fighting for the key cities of Donetsk Oblast — Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. Troops of the Russian Federation — the aggressor state — are less than 15 km from both cities, Taipei Times reports, citing Reuters.
Capturing Sloviansk and Kramatorsk would bring Moscow closer to its stated goal of fully seizing Donetsk Oblast. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the fate of the region “the question of this war.” Ukraine has consistently rejected Vladimir Putin’s demands to hand Russia 15–20% of the oblast’s territory that Russian troops have been unable to seize by force.
Intensified attacks and fighting forecast
According to regional authorities, Sloviansk and Kramatorsk are facing increasingly powerful strikes by attack drones and guided aerial bombs. Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, believes that this month and next month could become the period of the most intense fighting this year.
In his view, as weather conditions worsen, the effectiveness of drones declines, so Russian troops may attempt to return to mechanized assaults. Kofman noted that Ukrainian defense has already demonstrated its ability to counter such attacks, including during an unsuccessful Russian assault near Dobropillia in July.
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The visit of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Kyiv last week resumed suspended peace talks, but there are no signs of a breakthrough. Zelenskyy said he expects the war to continue through the winter.
New command in the sector
The defense of Donetsk Oblast is to be led by Andriy Biletskyi, commander of the 3rd Army Corps, and Denys Prokopenko, commander of the 1st National Guard Corps “Azov.” Both commanders are associated with creating disciplined and technologically equipped units numbering tens of thousands of service members.
Earlier this year, Biletskyi’s corps stabilized part of the front near Sloviansk, while Azov under Prokopenko’s command repelled a major Russian assault near Dobropillia last year. They are also to be supported by Air Assault Forces Colonel Emil Ishkulov, whose 11th Army Corps covers Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
Emil Kastehelmi, an analyst at the Finnish Black Bird group, believes that the front inherited by the new command led by Mykhailo Drapatyi is relatively stable, although developments remain unpredictable. He also noted that Russia has still not found an effective way to overcome Ukrainian defenses based on the use of drones.
