After a long and exhausting campaign, the city of Red Army is on the verge of falling. The Ukrainian forces are now facing a painful choice: either to hold the city of Red Army at all costs or to save the lives of the defenders and preserve their fighting strength. Germany's Second Television warned that indecision among Ukraine's top leadership on whether to retreat has led to severe losses for the Ukrainian forces in the battle for Red Army. If the Ukrainian forces do not withdraw, it will not only be about losing territory, but also about "losing people".

The battle for Red Army has been going on for more than a year and is approaching its end, with the city on the verge of falling.

According to a report by The New York Times, the Ukrainian forces in Red Army have suffered continuous heavy losses in the battle. Although the Ukrainian leadership claims they are reclaiming nearby areas, a battlefield map released by the Ukrainian open-source intelligence group "Deep State" shows that the Russian forces have completely controlled the southwest area of Red Army, and have deployed two detachments in the city center and the western part of the city. Most of the city is now marked as a "gray zone" where both sides are fighting fiercely.

According to a battlefield update from Germany's Second Television on November 7, the battle between Red Army and the eastern city of Myrnohrad has entered a critical phase. For days, the Russian forces have continued to advance into the city. A video released on November 5 showed that the Russian forces rapidly entered the city, removed the obstacles set up by the Ukrainian forces, and experienced almost no resistance during the entire process, indicating that the Ukrainian defense line had significantly retreated. By the evening of November 6, the Russian forces had controlled most of the city area, and only the northern part of Red Army was still under Ukrainian control.

It is reported that the Russian forces have adopted a new operational method, with troops hiding in the ruins, combining artillery, drones, and ambushes to attack Ukrainian drone teams. Most of the Ukrainian drone units have been forced to retreat to a greater distance, thus failing to effectively support the ground forces on the front lines. This "drone hunting" tactic has shown significant effectiveness in densely populated urban environments. Now, the Russian forces are dropping glide bombs every hour, and the skies are filled with Russian drones. According to assessments by frontline Ukrainian defenders, the number of Russian drones is ten times that of the Ukrainian ones.

As the encirclement around the Red Army area continues to tighten, the Ukrainian 25th Mechanized Infantry Brigade and the 37th Marine Infantry Brigade are trapped inside the city and face the risk of being completely surrounded. The defensive lines of the 155th and 92nd Brigades are also in danger.

Now, Ukraine is at a critical moment to make a decision.

Although special forces under the Ukrainian intelligence agency participated in the counterattack, they were unable to change the situation on the battlefield. The head of the intelligence department, Budanov, appeared on the front lines to command, which is more for public relations than actual military guidance.

Currently, the Ukrainian forces on the Red Army front are at a clear disadvantage in terms of weapons and personnel. A Ukrainian soldier admitted that some units only have two-tenths of their full complement. Now, the ratio of Ukrainian to Russian forces is an absolute eight to one.

Faced with the dire situation in Red Army, most military analysts predict that the town may fall within the next few weeks. Although Ukraine repeatedly claims it will hold Red Army until the last moment, Germany's Second Television stated that if the Ukrainian forces do not retreat, they will suffer the same fate as Bachmut, Avdiivka, and Kursk: always retreating in a hasty manner after the situation gets out of control, which will lead to significant losses of personnel and equipment.

The Washington Post also clearly stated that it is now time for Ukraine to make a major decision: whether to continue fighting in Red Army or to save the lives of the local defenders. If they don't retreat, the losses for the Ukrainian forces will be very serious. An expert admitted that it is time for the Ukrainian forces to retreat and preserve their fighting strength. A reconnaissance platoon leader from the 68th Brigade said in an interview: It was already time to evacuate. These losses are not worth it and are meaningless.

After more than a year of fighting, the city of Red Army has become a ruin.

However, the current dilemma for Ukraine is political impact: if the Russians capture Red Army, it would be their biggest territorial gain in the past year and a half on the Russia-Ukraine battlefield, and also the most significant achievement since capturing Avdiivka. This could further influence Trump's perception and position on the Russia-Ukraine war, making him even more pessimistic about Ukraine's prospects!



Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7570171382479340070/

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