[World Now] Russia concentrated firepower on the Eastern Front, no progress for 24 hours

Russia, which has gathered troops in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, is speeding up its offensive against Ukrainian forces.

However, even after bombarding almost the entire eastern front and sending ground troops, it does not seem to be able to achieve a significant result due to fierce resistance from the Ukrainian forces.

“We haven’t made any progress in 24 hours.”

The US think-tank Institute for War Research (ISW) said in an analysis of the war situation released on the 28th (local time), “Russian forces are continuing shelling and small-scale attacks along the eastern front of Ukraine, but they have not made any progress in the last 24 hours.” evaluated.

According to ISW, Russian forces are pushing southwest from Kharkiv Izium, which may be an attempt to bypass Ukrainian defenses on the direct Slovak route.

In addition, there are media reports that additional Russian troops are arriving one after another in Belgorod to support the offensive in the direction of Izium, and that Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Army, will directly lead the offensive in the direction of Izium, ISW reported.

Disruption of the normal chain of command?

Earlier, Ukrainian media outlet Defense Express reported on the 27th that, citing an unnamed Ukrainian military source, Chief of the General Staff Gerasimov had already arrived and was scheduled to lead the offensive from an ‘operational and tactical level’.

The media claimed that Russia’s plan to unify its command system under the commander of the Southern Military District, Aleksandr Dvornikov, who was appointed head of the war in Ukraine earlier this month, had failed.

ISW could not confirm the report’s authenticity, but pointed out that if true, it shows how important Russia is to the Igeum offensive, while at the same time suggesting that the Russian military’s normal chain of command has been disrupted.

Rockets launched from the Eastern Front of Ukraine [사진 제공: 연합뉴스]

“A fierce battle is taking place in Donbass”

Ukrainian military officials say fierce fighting is taking place on the Donbas front.

According to the British daily The Guardian, the command of the Ukrainian army said, “The enemy is speeding up the attack. The Russian occupation forces are firing intense fire from almost all directions.”

Ukrainian officials say the Russian military is concentrating its offensive capabilities near the Slovozanske and Donets regions, a strategically important point along the highway connecting Izium and Kharkiv.

Although Russian forces were defeated in northern Ukraine, they regrouped and recovered significantly in the eastern Donbas region, a region controlled by pro-Russian separatists, and still occupy much of southern Ukraine.

The port city of Mariupol, which is a strategic point connecting Donbas and Crimea, Ukraine, which was forcibly annexed in 2014, has also occupied the entire area except for some Ukrainian troops who are standing in the basement of the Azoustal Works with drainage formations.

In Mariupol, a port city in southern Ukraine that Russia has declared occupied, Ukrainian forces are still fighting the last battle. Azoustal Steelworks is the last point of resistance against which they formed a battalion.

Azoustal Works in Mariupol, Ukraine [사진 제공: 연합뉴스]

“Thousands missing” Azoustal, Mario Paul’s last place of resistance

At least 150 steel mill workers have been killed and thousands are missing, said Yuri Rizenkou, CEO of Metinvest Holding, Ukraine’s largest steelmaker, which operates the Azoustal steel mill.

“What we do know is that only about 4,500 of the 11,000 steel mill workers have escaped from Mariupol and their whereabouts have been confirmed,” he said.

Mariupol is a key point connecting the Crimean Peninsula and Donbas, annexed to Russia in 2014, and currently about 100,000 citizens are unable to escape.

Hundreds of civilians besides Ukrainian soldiers are also known to be imprisoned at the Azoustal Works.

“Mariupol has been under siege for almost two months,” Rezenkou said.

“They make people get out of their cars or even walk through minefields,” he said. “There’s a humanitarian disaster going on there.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on the 21st that he had taken control of Mariupol and ordered that the steelworks be “blocked so that not even a single fly can pass through it.”

Europe’s largest steel mill, producing 4 million tons of raw steel, has now become a symbolic place of war that has drawn the world’s attention.

“I don’t think Putin wants a steel mill,” Rezenkou said in a statement about Russia’s attack on the Azostal steel mill to the end.

“The ironworks are a symbol of Russia’s will to occupy Mariupol,” he added. “They did not expect Mariupol to resist so much.”

Ukraine has requested a ceasefire to evacuate civilians and wounded soldiers from the Azoustal Works outside Mariupol, but Russia has not accepted it.