Russia took control of most of Severodonetsk, and before moving on to further offensive actions, the Russian troops will need a pause, which can lead to the loss of part of the pulse gained over the last week. This is stated in the fresh intelligence review of the British Ministry of Defense.
Despite the capture of the most part of Severodonetsk, the main road leading to the Severodonetsk “Kotla” is probably under the control of Ukraine, they noted in intelligence.
But Russia continues to increase local success due to a strong concentration of artillery. The capture of the city stands the Russian troops of losses, states intelligence.
Further, the Russians will proceed to the forcing of the Seversky Donets River, which is a natural obstacle in its directions of the offensive. Forcing is extremely important for Russian forces, while they are preparing to switch their attention from Lugansk to the Donetsk region.
Potential points of crossing the Russian troops include places between Severodonetsk and neighboring city of Lisichansk and near the recently captured estuary.
In both places, the river line is probably still controlled by Ukrainian forces that destroyed existing bridges, the review says.
“Probably, Russia will need at least a short tactical pause in order to relocate to crossing the river and subsequent attacks deep into the Donetsk region, where the Ukrainian armed forces have prepared defensive positions. This can lead to the loss of a part of the impulse gained over the past week,” the saying says In the report.