Ukrainian Troops Are Counterattacking As Russia Loses The Springtime Initiative
It's apparent the Russians have a supply problem
Russia’s main objective in Ukraine this year is to capture Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the last two big free cities in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast.
The Russians have two options. One, to attack toward Kramatorsk—the southernmost of the twin cities—from the south, from the direction of occupied Pokrovsk. Or two, to drive on Sloviansk from the north.
But the northern approach first means marching through Lyman, 10 miles north of Sloviansk. And the Ukrainians aren’t just sitting around waiting for the Russians to move. At least twice since late May, the Ukrainian 3rd Army Corps has counterattacked north of Lyman.
It’s not yet apparent the Ukrainians have gained much ground along this axis. But it’s telling that they’re trying—and that they’re able to try. Russia no longer has the initiative in its 52-month wider war on Ukraine. Incredibly, the Russians are losing the momentum at the time of year they usually have the most momentum: springtime.
On or just before Wednesday, Russian troops continued what mapper and analyst AMK Mapping described as “limited assault operations” around Hrekivka, 17 miles north of Lyman, while Ukrainian troops launched their own counterattack toward Nove, 10 miles north of Lyman.
