Ukrainian Forces push forward: artillery strikes cripple Russian advances near Lyptsi and Vovchansk
Vovchansk is increasingly resembling an unattainable objective for Russia as Ukrainian artillery systems decisively target and destroy any visible military equipment of the Russian Federation near Lyptsi.
The frontline is witnessing a series of positive developments associated with greater autonomy for Ukrainian Armed Forces units and their commanders. Ukrainian military personnel have started showing initiative and are achieving significant local successes, reported Viktor Kevlyuk, an expert at the Centre for Defence Strategies, while commenting on the situation at the forefront.
"It seems as though brigade commanders have been given free rein, with all approvals for any activities lifted – resulting in successful local actions in Ternova and the Serebryansky forestry. The hostile offensive operation of Operational Group North has completely stalled in the northern part of Kharkiv Oblast, where the enemy has created a sector that, instead of attracting Defence Forces' reserves, sucks in the aggressor's troops like a black hole," he writes.
According to the expert, Vovchansk is looking more like an unrealistic target, with military logistics in Belgorod Oblast turning into a dangerous venture for enemy drivers due to the intensified strikes of Ukrainian forces, effectively putting Russia’s Operational Group 'North' on a stringent "diet."
Near Lyptsi, Ukrainian artillery systems are essentially obliterating all contours of Russian military machinery. The Russians are in a strategic bind: they lack the strength to move forward and are short on defensive positions to hold their ground. The Ukrainian army frequently conducts mostly successful counterattacks.
At the Aggregate Plant, the Russians 83rd Detached Airborne Assault Brigade has been encircled, along with, reportedly, part of the neo-Nazi "Rusich" detachment, who are eagerly awaited by Ukrainian justice.
Kevlyuk emphasized that a sober assessment of the situation in Kharkiv Oblast reveals the following:
- Russian forces are short on personnel;
- Russia lacks reserves on this front, and the situation elsewhere prevents troop reallocation;
- Holding the bridgehead in Lyptsi is excessively costly, with the rational solution being withdrawal;
- The lack of progress in Vovchansk will soon be as costly as in Lyptsi.
“The conclusion is obvious: if no progress is made on this front within a month, purely due to material and resource considerations, the adversary will be forced to withdraw 'North' group to Belgorod Oblast,” the expert added.