Russia advances in Donetsk, but not as quickly as desired – military observer

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

“I probably won't add to the optimism at the moment. I will say this: what we see now in the areas of Chasiv Yar, Toretsk, and Pokrovsk should be viewed in two ways. The first, let's say, is a negative one. For example, in the case of Pokrovsk, the enemy (Russia - ed.) is actually advancing, and we are not able to stop its advance at all. Even to the south of Pokrovsk, there are Russian advances, and they are virtually constant. Now, the enemy has approached two settlements: Udachne and Kotlyne, where they began fighting last week. They have started quite serious assaults — not extremely serious, but serious assaults have been going on for a long time, and this week they already account for 50% of all assaults on the front line. This is negative news in the sense that the Russians cannot be stopped,” he said.

Vasyl Pehnyo noted that Ukrainian defenders have established strong fortifications in two villages of the Pokrovsk district — Udachne and Kotlyne — where Russian troops have begun fighting.

"On the positive side, I remain skeptical when people describe the situation near Pokrovsk in overly dramatic and apocalyptic terms. For instance, some claim that Russian troops are only 15 kilometers away from the Dnipropetrovsk region, while others say they are just 4-6 kilometers from the highway between Pokrovsk and Dnipro city. However, as of now, we can say that Udachne and Kotlyne, where the Russians have been fighting, are two substantial fortifications that will likely require the Russians to commit a division of troops to breach. Additionally, there are still mines behind Udachne, and as you know, mines and any industrial enterprises, plants, or factories in Donbas provide strong defensive lines," the military observer said.

He noted that Russia is deploying more experienced troops in Chasiv Yar than, for example, in the Pokrovsk direction.

"And this is actually good news; we should probably not speak too dramatically about how quickly the enemy is advancing. Russia is not advancing rapidly, but the bad news is that it is making progress. Just as Russian troops are advancing in Chasiv Yar, they are also advancing in Toretsk. Speaking of Chasiv Yar, it's worth mentioning that the Russians are using well-trained troops there, unlike in Pokrovsk. While in Pokrovsk, they are newly mobilized soldiers recruited in December, in Chasiv Yar, they are paratroopers who have been training for six months and are slowly but steadily achieving their goals. So, unfortunately, I can't offer any positive news overall, in the sense that the enemy is advancing, and we can't stop it. But the good news, perhaps on the other side of the coin, is that it’s not happening as quickly as the Russians would like. Well, we are saying that tomorrow is the inauguration (of Donald Trump, ed.), and the Russians wanted to accomplish a lot of things before the inauguration," Vasyl Pehnyo remarked.

• On Friday, January 17, Ukrainian MP Mariana Bezuhla said that the Russian army had allegedly entered Pokrovsk. The Khortytsia troop grouping denied her words.
• Almost 200 combat clashes between the Russian and Ukrainian armies were recorded on the frontline on January 18. Russia is most actively attacking the positions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the Pokrovsk sector.