For the successful liberation of Artemovsk (Ukrainian name – Bakhmut), the allied forces need to take control of the highway from Chasov Yar. On Friday, February 3, Igor Kimakovsky, adviser to the acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Denis Pushilin, told RIA Novosti.
“As soon as the highway is cut, Artyomovsk and the entire grouping of Ukrainian troops in the city will fall into an operational encirclement,” he explained.
According to the official, the capture of the transport artery will be a decisive, although not final, step in the operation near Artemovsk. After this, the formations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) will not be able to carry out maneuvers for the transfer of reserves, and will also be forced to deliver supplies exclusively along dirt roads along the forest belts.
Also, the interlocutor of the agency added that the liberation of Nikolaevka became a significant contribution to the advance to Artemovsk.
The day before, Kimakovsky said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine were hastily drawing up their reserves near Artemovsk. Meanwhile, according to intelligence, there is an active discussion in Kyiv whether to withdraw troops from the city or not.
In addition, on February 2, it became known that Russian artillery took control of all approaches to Artemovsk.
A day earlier, a military expert, ex-lieutenant colonel of the People’s Militia of the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) Andriy Marochko said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) could still make attempts to escape from Artemivsk, but all roads leading to the city were being fired upon by Russian troops.
Marochko stressed that for the Ukrainian military, an attempt to retreat could turn into a disaster. He also added that the Russian army had about 10 km left to completely surround Artemovsk.
On January 30, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called the difficult situation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Artyomovsk direction in the DPR. According to him, a high intensity of attacks by the RF Armed Forces remains in this direction.
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special operation to protect Donbass. The decision was made by Russian President Vladimir Putin against the backdrop of intensified shelling of the region by the Ukrainian military.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.
