What happens in Chasiv Yar? The (desperate) situation of the city besieged by the Russians and the scenarios if they were to conquer it

According to Vadym Filashkin, governor of the Donetsk region, Russian forces will push into the heart of Ukraine if they manage to capture the frontline town of Khasiv Yar and the wider Donbas region. Filashkinha told Sky News that his country’s soldiers will not let this happen and will do “everything possible – and the impossible” to repel the Russian invaders. But he also said that Putin’s troops are attempting to break through the defensive lines of eastern Ukraine, hitting the region with 1,500 to 2,500 artillery shells and airstrikes daily. Asked what the danger would be for Ukraine and the world if the entire Donbas fell under Russian control, Filashkin said: «The enemy will advance. If, God forbid, this happens, the enemy will advance further into the central territory of our country. We will not allow it and we will do everything possible – and the impossible – to keep the enemy here in the Donetsk region and restore the borders to those of 1991.” The reference is to when Ukraine gained independence from the then Soviet Union.

Putin, only one tank (the small T-34) for the parade in Red Square: all resources at the front

THE VICTIMS

The governor said that in his region alone, around 2,500 civilians have been killed and nearly 5,000 injured since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. “The words to describe all the anger we feel have probably not yet been invented,” he added. Filashkin spoke near a giant Ukrainian flag flying over a park in the city of Kramatorsk, the area’s main administrative center and a vital military stronghold.

THE DANGERS

Kramatorsk – along with other eastern cities such as Konstantinivka and Slovyansk – would be at risk of increased bombing if Russian forces captured Khasiv Yar. The city’s observation point, atop a hill, would have put a larger area within range of Russian artillery. Much of the city lies in ruins Kiev had said Moscow wanted to occupy Chasiv Yar ahead of today’s annual Russia Victory Day celebrations, commemorating Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II. But Ukrainian forces are still in control, even though much of the city lies in ruins and all but a few hundred residents have long since fled their homes. Hidden among a row of flowering trees a few miles from the Khasiv Yar border, a small team of Ukrainian drones from the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ 22nd Brigade monitored smoke from Russian airstrikes billowing over the town on Wednesday. The unit’s commander – who gave his call sign as “Steve” – ​​said Russian attacks had intensified every week for the past three to four months as Moscow sought to take advantage of a delay in the supply of Western weapons to the Ukrainian positions. And when asked what the situation was like for the defending Ukrainian forces, he said: “It’s very intense. It’s very brutal. Yes. Brutal. And even more.” Speaking in near-fluent English with an American accent, he said Ukraine needs many more precision-guided weapons from its Western partners. «This could change the outcome of the war, in a way, completely, because we know where the Russians are. That is, exactly. We just need a weapon to destroy them,” he added.

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Read the full article at
The messenger