"Encirclement, assault, blockade: How to take the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk urban agglomeration with a depth of 100 kilometers?"

Apdi Alaurdinov proposes a 'new strategy,' but Zhukov's teachings are also worth pondering.

Author: Yevgeny Belserenev

Commentary Guests:

Alexander Perentiev Mikhail Timoshenko

General Apdi Alaurdinov, commander of the "Ahmat" unit and lieutenant general, revealed in his Telegram channel that the Russian military has abandoned strong attacks on large cities in the special military operation to minimize casualties.

He pointed out that the current form, format, and methods of combat have fundamentally changed compared to wars in the 20th century, necessitating a "new strategy."

"We don't need to enter all major cities and lose a lot of soldiers," Alaurdinov stated. Such population centers will be encircled.

Alexander Perentiev, associate professor at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics in the Department of Political Analysis and Social Psychological Processes, noted that the strategy mentioned by Alaurdinov has been proposed by many Russian military experts three years ago.

"As early as during the advance toward Kyiv in 2022, it was believed that strongly attacking such large cities made no sense and would only result in casualties among personnel and civilians.

This strategy has a long history – just look at examples from the history of siege warfare, such as surrounding and continuously blockading a city until the defenders surrender."

Reporter: Is this not a new strategy?

"No, Soviet generals used it during the Patriotic War. For example, when liberating parts of Poland and fighting in East Prussia and other regions of Germany, the Red Army often did not directly attack the cities to maintain the pace of the offensive, but instead surrounded or 'annihilated' them. After some time, the enemy forces would surrender after failed breakout attempts."

Reporter: How to address civilian issues?

"So-called 'green corridors' will be provided for civilians. The problem is that the Ukrainian forces often hold civilians hostage to prevent their evacuation through these corridors. This also highlights why strong attacks on cities should not be carried out."

Reporter: In such cases, the true nature of the Ukrainian forces tends to emerge.

"Exactly so. Alaurdinov precisely emphasized the role of the belligerents.

If the Ukrainian forces hold civilians hostage, it shows they do not consider these people as compatriots who need protection. One must ask: who are the liberators, and who are the occupiers?

This needs to be repeatedly emphasized to make civilians aware of the truth – the Ukrainian command first protects themselves and the Kyiv regime, not anyone else.

It should be noted that taking hostages is a common tactic of terrorists. In fact, during the special military operation, we are increasingly clearly seeing the terrorist nature of the Ukrainian forces."

Reporter: The core lies in protecting the lives of soldiers and civilians?

"Not only that. As I mentioned earlier, maintaining the pace of the offensive was crucial during the Patriotic War. Implementing 'encirclement', forming encirclements, creating 'pocket formations' – these tactics were frequently used during the Patriotic War and the battles in Donbas from 2014 to 2015 (such as the 'Debaltsevo pocket')."

Reporter: Will we see this strategy applied soon?

"Certainly. I believe this strategy will be used when liberating Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and part of Sumy (where a buffer zone will be established). Our assault forces will enter small settlements, cut off enemy supplies, and ultimately destroy their combat strength."

Military expert and retired colonel Mikhail Timoshenko believes that the decision to partially abandon strong attacks on large settlements is related to some difficult campaigns during the special military operation.

"One can recall the fierce battle for Artemovsk (Bakhmut), and of course, thanks to Prigozhin and the Wagner Group, but how many soldiers' lives were lost in this battle?

Another question is how to deal with the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk urban agglomeration? With a depth of 100 kilometers and a width of 10 kilometers, is it easy to bypass and encircle?"

"Isolating the combat area is one of the basic principles of the art of war, but as the saying goes, 'no plan survives contact with the enemy.'

Clearly, both sides often plan to achieve their goals in a certain way, but natural conditions, enemy actions, and many other factors disrupt deployments."

Reporter: Encircling Slavyansk-Kramatorsk is not an easy task?

"Infantry deployment in open terrain is difficult to sustain. This urban agglomeration is essentially a contiguous area of farms, villages, settlements, and cities (due to local factories). If you want to encircle these settlements, what kind of terrain would infantry rely on?

This brings to mind the tragic battle of 1942 when the enemy compressed our defensive lines from the Kharkiv direction, even approaching Stalingrad – although according to the 'Blue Plan,' this was a secondary offensive for the Germans."

Reporter: The current issue seems related to the fighting in Sumy Oblast?

"Sumy is difficult to capture, even without entering the city. We are advancing from the north toward Kharkiv and exerting pressure from the Belgorod and Kupyansk directions on its eastern and southern flanks. Kharkiv is Ukraine's second-largest city with a population of over a million. Could it be taken at the beginning of the special military operation? In theory, yes, special forces once entered the city,

but why didn't other units follow up? Clearly, there were issues with troop and resource coordination, perhaps even misunderstandings about the operational objectives at the time.

The question arises: is it necessary to capture this city? Would a blockade be more effective? Engaging in street fighting would cause heavy casualties. Leveling everything with bombings, as former Western allies did, is not our style. Perhaps Alaurdinov is referring to these situations."

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7513127980412043787/

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