Fighting pushes back Ukrainians: London: Russians regain control in Kreminna

Fighting is pushing back Ukrainians
London: Russians regain control of Kreminna

03/23/2023 10:32 am

For weeks, Ukrainian and Russian troops have been fighting each other near the city of Kreminna. According to the British secret service, Russia is now making a breakthrough. Armed forces would have made terrain gains of several kilometers.

According to British estimates, Russian troops in eastern Ukraine pushed back Ukrainian troops in heavy fighting near the Russian-occupied city of Kreminna. “Russia has partially regained control of the immediate approaches to Kreminna, which faced an immediate Ukrainian threat earlier this year,” the Defense Ministry in London reported, citing intelligence findings. “In some places, Russia has gained several kilometers of terrain.”

Now the Russian troops probably wanted to set up a “security zone” west of their prepared defense positions, it said. In doing so, they would presumably include the Oskil River as a natural obstacle and also try to recapture the logistics hub of Kupyansk.

In principle, however, Russia is still pursuing a defensive approach in eastern Ukraine. “Commanders probably fear that this could be one of the front sectors where Ukraine could attempt a major offensive.”

Russian offensive operations have been underway in Kreminna in the Luhansk region for weeks. With various advances, army units tried to advance westward towards Lyman over largely open terrain. There was also intense fighting in the extensive spruce and pine forests southwest of Kreminna. On the southern bank of the river, the Ukrainians are holding an exposed outpost in the immediate vicinity of the village of Bilohorivka in the front arc between the Siverskyj Donets river and the Russian positions in front of Lysychansk.

The British Ministry of Defense has published daily information on the course of the war since the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Moscow accuses London of a disinformation campaign.