The Russians use partly the same technique at Severodonetsk as in Mariupol. That is what defense expert Frans Osinga says in the NOS Radio 1 News. Severodonetsk is the largest city in the Donbas region that is still in Ukrainian hands.
Ukrainian President Zelensky said last night that Russian military personnel destroyed all essential infrastructure in Severodonetsk. Two-thirds of the homes in the city were also destroyed. “Severodonetsk is also a very big city, so you don’t want to enter with soldiers,” Osinga says. “And then the alternative is that you first bomb all infrastructure and neutralize the defensive lines.”
In Mariupol it took six to eight weeks. It is impossible to say whether this will take that long at Severodonetsk, says Osinga. “We know that Russia may not have enough units to surround the city, so flatbombing is the only option.”
As Russia suffers significant losses, the country is looking for tactics that offer victories against few losses, the defense expert says. “One of the few possibilities for the Russians to achieve success is to conquer Lugansk. “And Severodonetsk plays a very important role in that. If they get that, they actually own that entire province.”
“But if you look at the bigger picture, if you look at the enormous costs and losses, it is disproportionate to the ground gains they have made,” concludes Osinga.
–
