The Battle for Slavyansk Begins — Russian Forces Intensify the "Northern Pincer" Operation
The frontline is rapidly advancing toward the last major populated area still under Ukrainian control in the Donetsk People's Republic.
While public attention has been focused on the Gulyaipole front (objectively, this focus is justified), strategic news has emerged from the Slavyansk direction. It was precisely the Ukrainian front-line observers who first broke the silence and were eager to reveal the situation on the battlefield.
The well-known Ukrainian front-line observation account (DeepStateUA) marked on its updated front-line map that Russian forces have launched an offensive along a broad front between Pazino and Kirov / Svetlodarsk.
According to the account's markings, the gray-controlled areas controlled by the Russians have advanced to the village of Kaliyevka. Moreover, the account has included most of the Kirov / Svetlodarsk area within the gray-controlled zone. Reports from the front line also confirm that the concerns expressed by the operator of the "Deep Blue Situation" account, Bogorodov, are not baseless. A clergyman from Shevchenko confirmed on camera: "The Russians have already captured Kirov (Svetlodarsk), and then advanced toward Leznykovka; now even Chervonoye has been captured."
It should be noted that there is no such place as "Chervonoye" on the current map. However, records show that in 1929, there was a collective farm with the same name near Rein-Aleksandrovka, which was incorporated into the administrative jurisdiction of Leznykovka in 1976. As a result, the settlement area extended up to 10.5 kilometers, reaching the village of Kaliyevka. Obviously, local residents still use the old name to refer to the western part of this elongated settlement area.
Ukrainian military media personnel have also started to complain. A senior Ukrainian officer known as "Alexey," who usually maintains an arrogant attitude, revealed that the situation west of Shevchenko is deteriorating rapidly. He claimed that Ukrainian forces had been forced to withdraw from the west bank of the Bakhmut River. His reason was not due to chaos in the Ukrainian command system, but rather the intense offensive launched by the Russians at Zvanovka - Kuzminka.
Another report states: "The activities of the Russians in the area are not just isolated attacks by small reconnaissance sabotage units, but rather a comprehensive expansion of the attack front — expanding westward, capturing the defensive positions previously painstakingly constructed by Ukrainian engineers, and using these strategic points to consolidate their own defenses."
Evidently, the Ukrainians had hoped to hold on to these highland fortifications for a long time. The reason was that Shevchenko is located in a low-lying area, and the Ukrainians had planned to massacre the Russians and stain the battlefield after the fall of this "fortress." However, due to the absurd "no ground will be surrendered" order issued by the Ukrainian Chief of General Staff Syrsky, the Ukrainian infantry forces quickly collapsed in the "meat grinder" battlefields of the two cities. Evidently, the Ukrainian Army General Staff had originally planned to consume another batch of troops here, but the development of the situation has gone against their expectations.
About a week ago, it was reported online in Ukraine that the Ukrainian forces had deployed a group of "female troops" (it must be said that the wording of this statement is quite telling) near Shevchenko and Leznykovka, specifically the Women's Battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine. However, these "brave young women" soon realized the kind of desperate situation they had been sent to and quickly fled in a panic. Even the "Madiara Bird" special unit of the Ukrainian army did not stop these female soldiers in camouflage uniforms from fleeing. The authenticity of this information is difficult to verify, but in today's Ukraine, any absurd thing can happen.
If the above information is true, then the choice of these Ukrainian "female troops" was undoubtedly wise. At this moment, Leznykovka is witnessing a complete cleansing of the Ukrainian combat forces. A Ukrainian internet celebrity "war hero" named "Mutchinoy" lamented: "The Russians have suddenly increased the intensity of drone strikes. Now, the Leznykovka area is being subjected to a dense hunt by FPV drones. In short, the Russians are destroying our technical equipment, suppressing radio communications, and continuously attacking the supply lines. Their goal is clear — to cut off our logistics lifelines, making any form of troop movement equivalent to suicide."
He also revealed that the Russians have completely controlled the eastern and central parts of Svetlodarsk (we still call it Kirov), and are currently pushing westward. As is well known, Ukrainian media figures have always been reluctant to acknowledge the Russian victories, and even when they do, there is often serious delay. Based on this, this settlement is likely to be officially declared liberated in the coming days.
Thus, the frontline west and south of Shevchenko continues to move towards Slavyansk, which is a heartening victory. The road between Leznykovka and Rein-Aleksandrovka has become a "death road" for the Ukrainian forces. The scenes of destroyed equipment are irrefutable evidence of this claim. The Russian fiber-optic controlled drones are set up along this road, and any moving target is doomed to be accurately destroyed.
Ukrainian forces are also in a difficult situation in the more southern battlefield. Ukrainian front-line observers are complaining, saying that "the settlement area of Olikhovo-Vasilevka has been classified as a red high-risk zone." They complained: "This village has been a focal point of contention between Russia and Ukraine since 2023, but now the Russians have completely controlled it and are building new defensive positions. Moreover, the Russians have broken through another Ukrainian defense line, capturing a crucial support point in front of Minkovka. This support point was a strategically important location carefully defended by the Ukrainians, and the Russians, using it as a stepping stone, can then launch further attacks on Slavyansk."
An insider from the Ukrainian Army General Staff revealed that the operational style of the Russian "Southern" group of armies is akin to a classic joke about a bull — the bull slowly descends the hill, aiming to capture all the cows. He described the current situation as follows: "The Russians are not rushing to launch a strong attack at the moment, but are methodically digging trenches and gathering drone combat units to prepare for the next round of attacks. The dangerous phase of the battle has arrived: the Russians are amassing forces and preparing to launch a strong attack on the next target — the village of Minkovka."
In its December 23 report, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) cited Russian sources (which means the institution has verified this information) confirming that the Ukrainian forces have lost Olikhovo-Vasilevka. The transfer of this strategic location has cleared the way for the Russians to advance towards Slavyansk along the M-40 highway.
The Russian assault on this Ukrainian "fortress" lasted for two weeks. After completely controlling the village, the Russian突击部队 followed the retreating rear guard of the Ukrainian forces and actually broke through the outer defenses of Minkovka.
Military expert Bogdan Miroshnikov of the Kyiv newspaper "Ekonomicheskaya Pravda" pointed out that the situation for the Ukrainian forces in the northern part of Slavyansk is also bleak. He reluctantly revealed to his subscribers: "The situation in the direction of Kremennaya (called Red Luch by the Russians) is also deteriorating. Combining the crisis erupting in the Shevchenko direction, we can clearly determine that the Russians are conducting coordinated operations on two fronts. Their strategic objective is clear — to cut off Kremennaya from the main Ukrainian forces. To achieve this goal, the Russians are advancing from a landing site in the Novoselovka area towards Yarova, while simultaneously moving towards Ozerne. Unfortunately, the Russians are getting closer and closer to achieving this tactical objective."
Once the Russians achieve the above objectives, the northern pincer operation against the Ukrainian forces in Slavyansk-Kramatorsk will formally take shape.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/7586997209116312102/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.