In the East of Ukraine received the first reports that the situation at the front calms down. A few hours ago in the town was intense shelling. The so-called separatists from the Donbass and their Russian forces used the “Grad”, mortars and tanks. For one last day killed three Ukrainian military, there are many wounded. According to the Ukrainian side, the storming of the Russian-separatist forces managed to stop twice. In the last two days Avdeevka was at the center of the most fierce over the past month of fighting in the Eastern Ukrainian front. According to the Ukrainian headquarters of such a powerful tank shelling, as were in the vicinity of the nearby village of Sands point, the separatists, since the fighting for the Donetsk airport.
Avdeevka, which was known for one of the largest coking plants, now seems deserted, but your house is still left half a dozen thousand inhabitants. Due to shelling in the city without water and electricity. Ukrainian authorities are ready to evacuate, but as the examples of the previous months, such an operation can be very complex because people do not want to leave themselves. In 2015, their homes did not want to leave Debaltsevo. Remaining in the town got used to the attacks: in the end, they have three years to live on the front lines.
Why the Russians and the separatists have struck here? The reason is simple. Although there were suggestions that a heavy fire of artillery and further attempt to break through the front with tanks and attack groups of infantry is the beginning of a large-scale Russian offensive, we are dealing with an attempt to obtain a tactical advantage. The Russians and under their supervision, the so-called separatists want to push back the Ukrainian army from Donetsk. Avdeevka is on the Ukrainian side of the front, it is only a few kilometers from the outskirts of the capital of the separatists in a straight line. In addition, it lies on a hill, from which Ukrainians can keep shelling the city. So, as in other of its limited offensive operations of the Russian-separatist side wants to squeeze the Ukrainians with a relatively small section of the front to capture the strategically important town.
A good moment to attack
The Russians and the separatists took advantage of an opportune moment. First, the Ukrainian army after the rejection of full mobilization suffers from a lack of personnel. At the front, just not enough soldiers. The problem is felt even more acutely that the separatists regularly organize outings. Fortunately, the Ukrainian army has learned to act in such operations efficiently and to react quickly despite the problems. It is also a concentration of artillery. Although the Minsk agreement demanded to withdraw heavy weapons from the front line, both sides holding her so close (or even violating the agreement and hide it in place) that can rapidly shift self-propelled howitzers, and “grads” to the scene of the collision. In addition to the military preconditions associated with the tactical situation at the front, there are also political ones. Moscow has given the operation in Avdiivka “green light” for one reason: she believes that will be able to thus prepare the ground for negotiations with Donald trump.
The Russians in a specific way, with howitzers and rockets, recall that in Ukraine there is a war, and the former model, provided in the peace agreement of Minsk is not working, so you should sit down and agree on a new world. This time with trump. Moscow hopes that with his help she will be able to achieve favorable resolution of the conflict in Ukraine.
The events in Avdiivka will be a test for the new us administration. Washington’s reaction will tell us more about the true intentions of trump in relation to Eastern Europe than a Saturday telephone conversation with Putin. About this conversation we know only what is reported by the press services of both presidents, but, apparently, it did not go as we would like to Vladimir Putin, once he decided to speak louder on the Ukrainian front.
