“A Smerch MRL hit our main headquarters of the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) area. Another strike landed in a residential neighborhood of Kramatorsk that was supposedly a rear area,” President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said in a speech to parliament on February 10.
Situation in the ATO area significantly deteriorated on February 10. The bombardment of Kramatorsk, where the ATO headquarters is located, was launched from Horlivka and actually was the Russian military’s response to the Ukrainian military offensive around Mariupol.
“The enemy has suffered serious combat losses. Having defeated terrorist groups around Mariupol, our troops have ensured robust defense of the city, with its civilian population now protected from shellings,” Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Turchynov stressed. He said that the offensive allowed Ukraine to reestablish control over Pavlopol, Kominternove, Lebedynske, Berdianske, Shyrokine, and a number of other localities.
We know that Mariupol suffered from periodic attacks of the Russian gangsters in the past, one of which ended with dozens of civilians dead. Of course, residents of this seaside industrial city find living in fear, ever expecting another strike, an uncomfortable experience. It is therefore important to push these gangsters away from the city.
The National Security and Defense Council’s leader Turchynov’s presence in the offensive launch area is indicative of wider situation. This is not the first time that management of tactical operations is taken over by a senior politician. Why have not they made way for professional soldiers?
“There is a personnel shortage,” Self Reliance MP Pavlo Kyshkar commented for The Day. “It is caused by the reluctance of national leadership to appoint to top positions people who are not loyalists or personal acquaintances of either the president or the Secretary Turchynov. I think it is a systemic flaw of the government policy. Mid-level officers are now more patriotic and more professional than generals. I have seen no true professional appointed to a top position, perhaps except for General Hennadii Vorobyov. This could end very badly for the nation. As long as people with relevant knowledge and skills are kept from top positions in the military and in the country as a whole, we should not expect any progress.”
Another important sector of the front is the Debaltseve springboard. The situation is changing constantly there. The information coming from the scene is inconsistent. Data on the location and concentration of our forces are kept secret for obvious reasons, which makes it impossible to give a more or less accurate assessment of the situation. The story of the Debaltseve springboard, which less optimistic people call a cauldron or a pocket, has been going on for quite some time. The Ukrainian army has accumulated sufficient forces in the area to repel the enemy’s attacks. Despite the loss of Vuhlehirsk, our military has been successfully counter-attacking for a long time. The militants intensified their pressure on February 9 night, even managing to achieve some success by reaching a strategically important route.
MP Semen Semenchenko posted on Facebook: “The militants have finally managed to reach the ‘lifeline’ connecting Debaltseve to Artemivsk. The Armed Forces of Ukraine’s units and the Donbas Battalion’s counter-sabotage team have retreated to their original positions.”
It is believed that the threat of encirclement has emerged due to the commanders’ tactical mistakes. Some argue that it would be better to concentrate forces right away and use the Debaltseve group to advance on Yenakiieve, while the Avdiivka group had to launch an attack along a converging axis to Yasynuvata, thus encircling Horlivka. Deputy head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine’s Main Directorate in Donetsk region Illia Kiva reported that the encirclement was avoided at Debaltseve thanks to artillery support.
The Ministry of Defense reported later on February 10 that Ukrainian soldiers had unblocked the section of the road between Debaltseve and Artemivsk, both in Donetsk region, which is called the “lifeline.” In particular, the report states: “Military reserves and equipment are being sent to the battlefield. All militants’ assaults have been successfully repulsed by the ATO forces.”
Military expert Mykola Sunhurovsky noted in his comment for The Day: “Vladimir Putin is trying to obtain as many trump cards as he can before the negotiations start. Should a new demarcation line be discussed, Putin would like to expand the area held by pro-Russian forces. I cannot rule out the use of combat aircraft over Luhansk and Mariupol sections of the front.”
