(05-27-2022, 12:59 PM)Leftcoast Wrote: Do you folks have any insight on just how bad this week was for Ukraine in the East?
The coverage on this has been all over the place.
I think Popasna falling was tough, because that city had a lot of high ground, and Russians have been using that recently, but are slowing in their advance, besides the south. I expect everything to the east of Siverski Donets river, including Severdonestk to fall in the coming days. As far as how bad it is, hard to tell, but sadly I think a lot of Ukrainians are being killed. I also think they are causing hell for the Russians, inflicting as many, if not more, casualties. Severdonetsk will be a very difficult urban campaign for Russia, something don't specialize in.
Overall, I think the two areas of hope for Ukraine are the Kharkiv region, and Kherson region. Reports are Ukrainians made a break through North East of Kherson, still waiting for real confirmation, but possibly the town of Davydov Brod. The Kherson front has been relatively quiet recently, but the Ukrainian 5th tank brigade was recently mobilized, mostly due to the recent donation of tanks from Poland. They weren't a fully formed brigade before, and were based in Odessa.
As I've said before I think in the short term, Russians will make some marginal gains, but we should hit a point soon where they have reach unsustainable losses, and they don't have a coalition of nations helping them. Ukrainians are fully mobilized, and should start seeing the fruits of that more and more, as reserves have been fully trained.
