Fighting on Ukraine’s northeastern front could determine the war’s next phase
LA TimesUkrainian servicemen from the 3rd Separate Tank Iron Brigade take part in a drill not far from the front line in the Kharkiv area. But with the sounds of the real war with Russia rumbling four miles away, this daily training underscores the high stakes on Ukraine’s northeastern front, where military officials say a much-anticipated Russian offensive has already started, with fighting that could determine the next phase of the conflict. “Synchronization will be important to halt Russian offensives toward Ukrainian defensive lines,” said Ukrainian Col. Petro Skyba, a battalion commander of the 3rd Separate Tank Iron Brigade. Triumph in Kupiansk could decide future lines of attack for both sides: If Russia succeeds in pushing Ukrainian forces west of the river, it would clear the path for a significant offensive farther south where the borders of Luhansk and Donestk meet. Pushing back Ukrainian troops west of the Oskil River and locking them there would create a new defensive line and prevent deployments to the critical Svatove-Kreminna line farther south, where a separate Russian offensive is underway to capture the Donestk region by reclaiming abandoned posts in Lyman.