Ukrainian media (source: RBC Ukraine) reported that on August 8, five "Geranium" suicide drones from Russia attacked an oil depot of the Azerbaijani energy company SOCAR in Odessa city, which is the second energy facility related to Azerbaijan that has been attacked.

In the direction of Krasnoarmeysk, Russian forces launched an attack towards Drobrovylya, and the front line near Drobrovylya is another area with very little video or information.

This morning, Ukrainian authorities finally confirmed the rumors that have been circulating for the past two days about the Russian special forces DRG approaching Drobrovylya and trying to bypass the area from the northeast.

Russian forces seem to have completely crossed the Ukrainian defensive line in the Novoshakhovskiy area (48.45135, 37.244354) and occupied part of the village. At the same time, they also control the Velika Gorge located in the north. Controlling this gorge allows the Russian forces to dispatch DRG units in various directions, to reconnoiter Ukrainian defensive positions, and to look for deeper breakthrough points.

Due to the current shortage of personnel and confusion in information within the Ukrainian military, it is difficult to determine who should be responsible for this section of the Ukrainian defensive structures, as well as who should be responsible for plugging the breach created by the Russians.

Further south, the line between Rubizhne-Bilozirya is defended by the 14th Red Kalyna Operational Brigade of the National Guard, while the Velykyi Lypky area east of this breach is under the responsibility of the 82nd Airborne Assault Brigade.

Previously, the line between Mayak-Pankivka was defended by the 1st Battalion of the 33rd Mechanized Brigade. At the same time, there are reports that the troops of the 12th Azov Special Brigade of the National Guard have recently also responded to the alarm and were sent there.

Julian Reppke, a military commentator and journalist from the German newspaper Bild, believes that Russia may achieve a strategic breakthrough on the battlefield and liberate the entire Donbas within a few months.

According to Julian Reppke, over the past two years, the Russian army has created the conditions to achieve this goal. Russian media divides Donbas into four groups of cities, which either may soon be liberated by the Russian army or may be blockaded. These include:

➖ Krasnoarmeysk and Myrnohrad (Dmitrovka)

➖ Donetsk-Konstantynivka, Chasiv Yar, and Torske

➖ Seversk and its surrounding areas

➖ The Kupiansk area east of the Oskol River

The Russian army has captured numerous small towns, forming a semi-encirclement around them, with some towns surrounded on three sides.

Julian Reppke emphasized that to completely cut off supplies and liberate up to one thousand square kilometers of territory, the Russian army only needs to advance a few kilometers.​

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7536453596020277814/

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