The conclusions gen. Sirski and Ukraine’s tactics on the hard-tested Eastern flank where Russia holds the upper hand and attacks daily from two directions west of Donetsk

Servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Photo source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (CinCAFU), Colonel-General Oleksandr Sîrski, presented, on the afternoon of May 6, the conclusions of his latest visit to the fighting zone in eastern Ukraine.

“In connection with the difficult situation in the east, for two days I worked in units conducting defensive operations in the directions of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove, that is, in the direction of the enemy’s main attack. Here are concentrated the enemy’s striking forces, which are trying to break through the defense of our troops and, in the event of success, reach the large settlements of Kurakhove and Pokrovsk”, stated Sîrski on Facebook.

Colonel-General Oleksandr Sîrski, Commander-in-Chief of the Forces of Ukraine (right), being presented with the situation at the front. Photo: Oleksandr Sîrski @OfficialFacebook

Since the first phase of launching the offensive operation in these directions, the Russian forces had a numerical advantage in terms of personnel, weaponry and military equipment, and this allows them to attack the positions of Ukrainian troops every day, CinCAFU stated.

“Our task in these conditions is to hold our lines and positions, to inflict maximum losses on the enemy with artillery fire, UAV strikes and by all means, to exhaust him, thus disrupting his plans and buying time for the preparation of our reserves” , Sirski said.

The general talked with the commanders of the major units and units operating in the respective directions.

“Working with the brigade commanders and their subordinates, we made all the necessary decisions to strengthen the defense with reserves and to allocate an additional number of missiles, ammunition, EW (electronic warfare) systems and UAVs. I am sure that this will help our units to successfully repulse the enemy’s attacks and inflict significant losses on them,” Sirski added.

The situation on the front line

The situation on the Eastern front, around Donetsk, on May 5, 2024. Photo source: ISW

On Monday morning, the Ukrainian General Staff (SMG) reported that 125 “tactical engagements” (battles) took place on May 5, marking the eighth consecutive day with an extremely high level of Russian ground attacks. In addition, Russian forces have significantly increased airstrikes, with almost a doubling of airstrikes (120 strikes) carried out by the Russian air force on Sunday compared to Saturday (69 strikes).

On Sunday, the Russian forces carried out 58 ground attacks in the directions of Kurakhove and Pokrovsk, located 22 km west and 50 km northwest, respectively, of the city of Donetsk. Thus, almost half of the Russian attacks on a front with a total width of 1,200 km were carried out in a sector with an opening of only 60 km. At this time, Russian forces are approximately 10 km east of Kurakhove and 25 km east of Pokrovsk.

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