This second phase of war has not been cheap for Russia
told Arif Bahirov it was time to leave Severodonetsk: the bodies on the streets, left because local officials could no longer remove them; the fires that were no longer being extinguished; the missile that landed in the apartment downstairs, shaking him to the core. On May 21st the media manager dusted off his mountain bike and checked the tyres. He grabbed a few treasured possessions, as well as water and the most calorific food he could find and threw them into a rucksack.
The endgame for Severodonetsk itself, a mining and industrial town which sits in a vulnerable salient, seems now to be under way. Filming breathless reports from the scene, Russian television correspondents are already claiming victory. That is almost certainly an exaggeration at this point, but Russian troops do have a solid foothold in the city, with fierce battles taking place in central streets.
Russia has committed a substantial proportion of its battle-worn forces to the operations to take Severodonetsk and Lyman, a transport hub and possible bridgehead for crossing the Donets river farther north.
Kirill Mikhailov, an open-source analyst with the Conflict Intelligence Team, says low morale has become an issue in some Russian units. “They are trying to conserve what manpower they have left by using artillery, but our sources show they suffer demoralisation and high losses.” Telephone intercepts released by Ukraine this week also purport to show one Russian unit on the edge of mutiny.
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