Russia views operation in Bakhmut area as springboard for summer offensive — Defense Express

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

"The situation near Chasiv Yar holds significant psychological weight for us due to the ongoing challenging battles. However, when considering the broader context in the Bakhmut direction, Russian forces are attempting to advance across a 60-kilometer-wide front stretching from Chasiv Yar to Bilohorivka in the Luhansk region. Their objective is to clear a path for an advance towards Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, launching attacks along this wide front. Focusing solely on the heroics of our defenders in the Chasiv Yar area overlooks the courageous efforts of our defenders in other sectors of the Bakhmut direction who are also fulfilling their duties despite facing resource shortages," Kyrychevskyi emphasized.

The military expert warns that exclusively focusing on developments around Chasiv Yar and neglecting other key areas in the Bakhmut direction inadvertently plays into Russia’s hands.

"For Ukrainian troops, the objective extends beyond grinding the Russians solely in the Chasiv Yar area. In the Bakhmut direction, the goal is to impede the enemy's ability to initiate their summer offensive. Essentially, the Russians view the operation in the Bakhmut direction as a launching pad for their offensive. If this launching pad is disrupted, their offensive will likewise falter. Unfortunately, the stakes of the matter far surpass simply monitoring how many kilometers the Russians have advanced towards Chasiv Yar or whether they will reach it by May 9," added Kyrychevskyi.

• On April 15, Russian troops conducted the most attacks in the Bakhmut direction, totaling 27 times, followed closely by Novopavlivka with 26 attacks.
• Viktor Kevliuk, a military expert at the Center for Defense Strategies, noted that Russia is resorting to its classic scheme near Chasiv Yar.