Russia is advancing at an unprecedented rate in Donbass

Russian soldiers in Ukraine (Photo: Getty).

The Washington Post on October 2 quoted analyst Pasi Paroinen from Bird Group, an open-source intelligence analysis organization based in Helsinki, saying that Russian forces in Donbass are advancing "at an unprecedented pace" since the Ukraine conflict broke out more than 2 years ago.

He estimated that Russian troops controlled about 823 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in August and September.

The biggest advances by the Russian military “took place from mid-August to mid-September, coinciding with the Ukrainian offensive into Russia’s Kursk border region,” said analyst Paroinen.

In the latest advance on the eastern front in Ukraine, the Russian army on October 2 took full control of the strategic town of Vuhledar in Donetsk province after two years of fighting. Vuhledar is located about 60-70km southwest of Donetsk city, considered the last major Ukrainian stronghold in Donetsk province.

This move allows Russia to advance deeper into Ukraine's defenses, moving closer to its goal of controlling all of eastern Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is said to be stuck with Russia's Kursk border offensive. Kiev launched the Kursk offensive in early August in the hope of forcing Russia to withdraw its forces from the Donbass front.

However, Ukraine's pouring of tens of thousands of troops into Kursk has made their defense lines in the East even more stretched and vulnerable to a wave of Russian attacks.

Russia has barely reduced its forces in Donbass, even accelerating its offensive to penetrate Ukraine's last defense lines there.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/nga-dang-tien-cong-nhanh-chua-tung-co-o-donbass-20241003091921335.htm