Svatove - Kreminna is an important area of the front - Zgurets

Serhiy Zgurets, director of the information and consulting company Defense Express said this on the air of the Espreso TV channel

The offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces of Ukraine to the north and south of Svatovo is inevitable, but difficult because Russians have drawn up forces. The front line has shrunk. 

“We see a dotted line on the map from Svatove to Kreminna — this is the road along which the heights follow. Ukrainian army should cross and seize this road, and then, reach the heights, cover Svatove and Kreminna. These measures are now taking place. There are sections of the front where successful actions are taking place on the Ukrainian side, and if we occupy these hills, we will significantly simplify further tasks,” explains Zgurets.

According to Serhiy Zgurets, current war is a war in which 80% of the work is done by artillery. That’s why Ukrainians must knock Russians out of strong points they hold along this road, completely demoralize them and then, choosing the time for a counterattack, wedge into his defenses and develop an offensive. 

Ukrainian Armed Forces try to drive a wedge between Svatove and Nizhnya Duvanka, where Russian defense is weak. Nizhnya Duvanka is located a little higher than Svatove. This is an attempt by Ukrainian forces to cross the road from the settlement of Valuyka to Svatove. Ukrainian army makes efforts in several directions: above Svatove, between Svatove and Kreminna, and below Kreminna.

All these directions are now taking the form of artillery strikes and actions of Ukrainian assault groups.

“I would like to emphasize the village of Chervopopivka, which is on the Svatove - Kreminna highway. Russians raise forces there to hold this settlement. And Ukrainian units use artillery attacks and assault units to get as close as possible to it and cross the route between Svatove and Kreminna.

I would avoid the phrase that we have cut the road, because it is an optimistic hope and hope that the road is already under actual cutting.

For now, we are talking about active fire control over the route, but we are at a stage where there are prerequisites for knocking Russians from three lines of defense and throwing them to the left bank of the Krasna river.  Then we can further develop the offensive depending on the decision of the Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff, or we strengthen this line or develop the offensive towards Luhansk and Severodonetsk. After all, in practice, the situation can change every minute,” Zgurets says.