A situation similar to that in Bakhmut has developed in the north, in the Luhansk region – there, too, Moscow, in the hope of moving forward, is sending more and more soldiers, and weapons and using especially aggressive tactics writes Reuters.
There, from a small building in a heavily bombed village near Kreminna, Andrii «Tuman” directs his battalion’s operations around the clock to repel Russian attacks. The sound of distant gunfire is continuous background noise. Tuman told Reuters that the Russians had made 40 to 50 attack attempts since the beginning of February, adding that all had been repelled.
At the moment, Tuman is worried that the Russians in the sector of the front he oversees might try to act similarly to Bakhmut and create a pincer. He said that the Russians have changed direction and are apparently trying to take over the road to Liman, which is currently under Ukrainian control.
Some military experts believe that Moscow’s goal may be to build a siege, but the Russians’ ability to do so is questioned. Ukrainian military expert Oleksandr Musiyenko said:
«There is indeed an increase in activity and they are trying to move towards Lyman – they managed to advance 4 km in February. The enemy would need a lot of forces to take this line ( Sloviansk-Kramatorsk-Kostiantynivka) and therefore I think it is unlikely, given the losses the Russian troops are already suffering.»
The 110th battalion led by Tuman operates in the territory that was seized by Russia immediately after the invasion and was recovered by the Ukrainians in a counterattack in the autumn of 2022. Tuman pointed out that the February attacks probably already belonged to the new Russian attack predicted by the West. The battalion under his command has gradually expanded its capabilities, adding teams to work with drones and bringing in heavy military equipment, including tanks. Although the morale of the soldiers remains high, the commander also speaks of increasing fatigue. His deputy Serhii Pavlovych, who is also responsible for psychological support, said:
«To tell you the truth, we are really exhausted. That’s the only serious problem so far. Motivation is very high.»
The commander indicated that more artillery weapons were needed, as well as ammunition, as well as several rocket launchers to be able to keep the pressure on the Russians. Artillery now plays a major role in holding positions and is used by both sides. Tuman said: «My guys have been fighting for months. They are dying and they are not seeing a single Russian, because they were all hit by artillery.»
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