At the same time, they are persistently advancing from Popasna to Bakhmut, but the pace of advance of the russians is likely to slow down.
In recent days, although Ukraine’s defense remains effective, the russian occupiers have made some progress in fighting and preparing a third line of defense.
This was reported by the American Institute for War Studies (ISW).
According to ISW, russian troops have taken control of more than 95% of Luhansk Oblast and are likely to complete the capture of Severodonetsk in the coming days.
In addition, ISW analysts noted that russian troops tried unsuccessfully to advance southeast of Izyum near the borders of Kharkiv and Donetsk regions.
The invaders continued the siege of Severodonetsk and are probably trying to completely surround the Severodonetsk-Lysychansk district in the coming days.
They are steadily advancing south and west from Popasna to Bakhmut, but the pace of russian advancement is likely to slow as they approach the city.
According to experts, most likely, russian troops in the occupied areas of the southern direction are preparing a “third line of defense” to consolidate long-term control over the region and prepare to repel possible future Ukrainian counterattacks.
