“The destruction is reminiscent of the cities of Bakhmut and Avdijivka, which Ukraine surrendered after months of shelling and huge losses on both sides,” the agency commented on the released video, which was originally shot by Ukrainian police.
The capture of Chasiv Yar would give Russian troops control of the hill from which they could more easily attack other towns that now form the backbone of Ukrainian defenses in the region, AP noted.
“It would set the stage for a potentially wider Russian offensive, which Ukrainian officials say could begin as early as this month,” the agency warned.
The Russians have advanced behind Avdijivka, the greatest danger is at Chasiv Jar
The war in Ukraine
Regional governor Vadym Filashkin said on Ukrainian television Wednesday that 682 residents remain in Chasiv Yar, living in “very difficult conditions.” According to him, they have been lacking running water and electricity for more than a year, and it is also increasingly difficult to get humanitarian aid to them.
In mid-April this year, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, announced that Russia was concentrating its efforts on breaking through the defenses west of Bakhmut, capturing the city of Khasiv Yar, and creating the conditions for a further advance into the Kramatorsk agglomeration, which Moscow has long sought to occupy.
According to Syrsky, the Russian Supreme Military Command has instructed its troops to occupy Chasiv Yar by May 9. The Russian regime could then present this achievement during the anniversary celebrations of the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945.
The Russians, who have already penetrated to the edge of Chasiv Yar, have been attacking the city since early spring last year and intensified their attacks in March this year – also in an attempt to take advantage of the current lack of ammunition on the Ukrainian side.
The capture of this rail junction would not only better secure the captured Bakhmut, but would also allow the Russians to advance to Kostiantynivka, cutting the Ukrainian supply line from Kramatorsk to Torecko. If they occupied Kramatorsk and Slovyansk, they would control the remaining large cities in the Donetsk region. Their capture is the priority goal of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia will use Ukraine’s lack of ammunition to take control of Chasiv Yar in a flash
The war in Ukraine
