Recently Mark devoted part of his daily article on Ukraine to discussing some fortifications Russia is building near Hirske  I just wanted to add my own thoughts to the discussion  I have nothing conclusive here so feel free to treat the comments as an open discussion on these fortifications  On all my maps the dropped pin is the area of fortifications in question When Mark asks “why here” it’s a question that should be asked on both the tactical and the strategic level  The Russians need to set up a defensive line somewhere  It’s back from the front because its hard to construct these types of fortifications while being shot at  The Russians look like they are attempting to piece together a line somewhere  If we look at the map below the area to the SE of Hirske is a group of mid sized towns  Apparently the Russians felt these towns held something of value to protect (it’s really hard to know what Russia values as they appear willing to demolish the land they are trying to take)  I checked some basic mineral maps and nothing jumped out at me  So the strategic answer is “We had to put it somewhere” Here’s a map to show where it is relative to Bakhmut:  It’s easiest to begin with a larger zoom out than the photo at the start of the piece.  If we look on the map above to the north of town we see some sort of large ravine  The ravine stretches out to the NE and connects to the Donets river  So this ravine is presumably the part of the natural landscape the Russians are deciding to use as part of their defensive line  This would also presume they are preparing to use the Donets river as well  Here’s the map showing Hirske to the Donets river  Here it’s much less clear where Russia intends to connect the fortifications to  There is a ravine at the bottom of the map below but it runs E/W As for the trenches themselves:  The first trench (back to the photo at the start of the article) is a straight trench and I agree with those who thought it is meant as a vehicle hazard  The second trench does zig/zag and is probably meant for troops  Also remember that the town is just a quarter mile from the dragons teeth  The town serves as buildings to house troops and act as additional defensive structures  This field is a kill zone meant to deny Ukraine the ability to run tanks or Jeeps quickly through the field  Then infantry need to cross a big wide open space exposing themselves to machine gun and artillery fire  The wooded areas running E/W will be either heavily mined or the trees taken down Sometimes armies build fortifications in areas with natural defenses to improve on the defensive value of the area  But sometimes there are gaps between the natural lines  Then armies sometimes build up fortifications to hold the gap between the natural lines as is most likely the case here I think this is a fools errand on Russia’s part  Not because these fortifications won’t help if Ukraine attacks here but because I don’t think Ukraine will attack here  Some Russian general is doing their best attempt at making a defensive line out of a bad situation  I don’t know if there is a better line and I’m not interested in pointing it out to Russia if there was  But then I’ve always been of the opinion that Russia’s wisest course of action and the best possible outcome for Russia is for Russia to leave Ukraine (including Crimea) this looks like the line Russia will attempt to “freeze” the conflict behind Not signed up for Daily Kos yet? Create a free account Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Ukraine (AP) — After weeks of ferocious fighting Ukrainian forces will retreat from a besieged city in the country’s east to avoid encirclement the administrative center of the Luhansk region Ukrainian troops fought the Russians in house-to-house battles before retreating to a huge chemical factory on the city’s edge where they holed up in its sprawling underground structures Russian forces have made gains around Sievierodonetsk and the neighboring city of Lysychansk READ MORE: Despite an influx of Western arms, Ukraine is outgunned in the east Serhiy Haidai said that the Ukrainian troops have been given the order to leave Sievierodonetsk to prevent that we will have to pull our troops out of Sievierodonetsk,” Haidai told The Associated Press “It makes no sense to stay at the destroyed positions and the number of killed in action has been growing.” He said that the Ukrainian soldiers have “received the order to retreat from Sievierodonetsk to new positions in fortified areas and continue resistance from there.” Haidai noted that Ukrainian troops still remain in Sievierodonetsk facing massive Russian bombardment that has destroyed 80% of buildings Haidai said the Russians were also advancing toward Lysychansk from Zolote and Toshkivka adding that Russian reconnaissance units conducted forays on the city edges but were driven out by its defenders The governor added that a bridge on a highway leading to Lysychansk was badly damaged in a Russian airstrike and became unusable for trucks The Russian Defense Ministry declared Friday that four Ukrainian battalions and a unit of “foreign mercenaries” totaling about 2,000 soldiers have been “fully blocked” near Hirske and Zolote The claim couldn’t be independently verified Following a botched attempt to capture Kyiv in the early stage of the invasion that started Feb Russian forces have shifted focus in the war to the Donbas region where the Ukrainian forces have fought Moscow-backed separatists since 2014 The Russian military controls about 95% of Luhansk province and about half of neighboring Donetsk province After repeated requests to its Western allies for heavier weaponry to counter Russia’s edge in firepower Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said a response had arrived in the form of medium-range American rocket launchers READ MORE: European Union puts Ukraine on a path toward EU membership defense official confirmed Wednesday that all four of the promised High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems were in the hands of Ukrainian forces but said it wasn’t clear if they have been used yet approved providing the precision-guided systems at the end of May Ukraine’s forces needed about three weeks of training to operate them The rockets can travel about 45 miles (70 kilometers) will send an addition $450 million in military aid to Ukraine including four more of the medium-range rocket systems © 1996 - 2025 NewsHour Productions LLC PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization Subscribe to Here's the Deal with Lisa Desjardins Click here to see ISW's interactive map of the Russian invasion of Ukraine This map is updated daily alongside the static maps present in this report Ukrainian officials ordered a controlled withdrawal of troops from Severodonetsk on June 24 Luhansk Oblast Administration Head Serhiy Haidai announced that Ukrainian forces are withdrawing from “broken positions” in Severodonetsk to prevent further personnel losses and maintain a stronger defense elsewhere.[1] Severodonetsk Regional Military Administration Head Roman Vlasenko stated that several Ukrainian units remain in Severodonetsk as of June 24 but Ukrainian forces will complete the full withdrawal in “a few days.”[2] An unnamed Pentagon official noted that Ukrainian withdrawal from Severodonetsk will allow Ukrainian troops to secure better defensive positions and further wear down Russian manpower and equipment.[3] The Pentagon official noted that Russian forces pushing on Severodonetsk already show signs of “wear and tear” and “debilitating morale,” which will only further slow Russian offensive operations in Donbas Russian forces have been attempting to seize Severodonetsk since at least March 13 exhausting their forces and equipment over three months.[4] Ukrainian forces will likely maintain their defenses around Lysychansk and continue to exhaust Russian troops after the fall of Severodonetsk Ukrainian forces will occupy higher ground in Lysychansk which may allow them to repel Russian attacks for some time if the Russians are unable to encircle or isolate them Russian forces in Severodonetsk will also need to complete river crossings from the east which will require additional time and effort Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) Head Leonid Pasechnik claimed that Russian forces will completely encircle Lysychansk in the next two or three days after fully interdicting Ukrainian ground lines of communications (GLOCs).[5] Russian forces have successfully secured access to Ukrainian GLOCs along the Hirske-Lysychansk highway by breaking through Hirske on June 24 but Russian forces will need to cut Ukrainian logistics routes from Bakhmut and Siversk to fully isolate Lysychansk Russian forces are likely to face challenges completing a larger encirclement around Lysychansk due to a failed river crossing in Bilohorivka Ukrainian forces will likely conduct a deliberate withdrawal from Lysychansk if Russian forces threaten Ukrainian strongholds in the area Ukrainian intelligence warned that Russian forces will carry out false-flag attacks in Belarus to draw Belarusian forces into the Russian invasion of Ukraine The Ukrainian Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) reported that Russian sabotage groups and mercenaries arrived in Mozyr to detonate apartment buildings and civilian infrastructure around the city.[6] The GUR noted that Russian saboteurs will follow a pattern similar to apartment bombings in Chechnya in the early 2000s Ukrainian officials have previously reported on possible false-flag attacks in Belarus throughout the past four months Unidentified assailants resumed attacks against Russian military recruitment centers on June 24 indicating intensifying discontent with covert mobilization Russian outlet Baza reported two incidents where unknown attackers threw Molotov Cocktails at military recruitment offices in Belgorod City and Perm on June 24.[7] Baza also reported that Belgorod Oblast Police started a search for four contract servicemen—one sergeant and three ordinary soldiers–who have deserted their military unit stationed in Belgorod Oblast.[8] We do not report in detail on Russian war crimes because those activities are well-covered in Western media and do not directly affect the military operations we are assessing and forecasting We will continue to evaluate and report on the effects of these criminal activities on the Ukrainian military and population and specifically on combat in Ukrainian urban areas We utterly condemn these Russian violations of the laws of armed conflict and humanity even though we do not describe them in these reports Luhansk Oblasts (Russian objective: Encircle Ukrainian forces in Eastern Ukraine and capture the entirety of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts the claimed territory of Russia’s proxies in Donbas) Russian forces continued to advance toward Lysychansk from the south and launched assaults on Severodonetsk Russian forces likely encircled some Ukrainian forces in Zolote and continued to attack Ukrainian ground lines of communication (GLOCs) along the T1303 Bakhmut-Lysychansk highway Hirske District Head Oleksiy Babchenko reported that Russian forces occupied all settlements in Hirske district following a breakthrough from the east.[15] Hirske is situated just northeast of Ukrainian fortifications in Zolote and Russian control of the settlement indicates that Russian forces have successfully bypassed and encircled Ukrainian positions Babchenko said that Ukrainian officials ordered a withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Zolote three to four days ago The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that Russian forces encircled 1,800 Ukrainian servicemen in Zolote-Hirske but ISW is unable to verify the number of Ukrainian servicemen remaining in the settlement.[16] Ukrainian forces also lost access to the T1303 Hirske-Lysychansk highway and adjacent roads with the last humanitarian shipment arriving in Hirske on June 17.[17]  Motuzyanyk reported that Russian forces are fighting in Mykolaivka and Berestove to interdict the adjacent T1303.[18] Russian forces launched unsuccessful offensive operations north of Slovyansk and west of Izyum on June 24 The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces repulsed Russian assaults on Borhorodychne and Dolyna on the E40 highway to Slovyansk.[19] Ukrainian Defense Ministry Spokesperson Oleksandr Motuzyanyk noted that Russian forces unsuccessfully attacked Kurulka and Virnopillya in an effort to set conditions for a renewed offensive operation on Barvinkove approximately 35 km southwest of Izyum.[20] Motuzyanyk added that Russian forces are accumulating additional reserves and deployed a battery of Uragan MLRS to Novoselivka Russian forces will likely prioritize completing the operational encirclement of Lysychansk from Lyman in the future rather than conducting a ground assault on Slovyansk Russian forces continue to shell Siversk (approximately 28 km northwest of Lysychansk) likely in an effort to interdict the remaining Ukrainian GLOCs to Lysychansk.[22] Russian milblogger Yuri Kotyenok noted that Russian forces will attempt to seize Lysychansk before mid-July ahead of the rainy season which would complicate Russian advances due to muddy roads.[23] Kotyenok added that Russian forces do not have enough manpower to encircle heavily fortified Slovyansk and Kramatorsk Russian forces will need recovery time to initiate advances on Slovyansk following the grinding campaign to capture Severodonetsk and Lysychansk Supporting Effort #1—Kharkiv City (Russian objective: Withdraw forces to the north and defend ground lines of communication (GLOCs) to Izyum) a settlement on Russian ground lines of communication (GLOCs) in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast likely in a continuing effort to maintain Russian logistics routes to Izyum and Luhansk Oblast.[27] Supporting Effort #2—Southern Axis (Objective: Defend Kherson and Zaporizhia Oblasts against Ukrainian counterattacks) Russian forces did not conduct offensive operations in Kherson Oblast amidst Ukrainian counteroffensives along the Kherson-Mykolaiv and Kherson-Dnipropetrovsk Oblast borders on June 24 The Ukrainian General Staff reported that half of the Russian forces retreated to Olhine just south of the Kherson-Dnipropetrovsk Oblast border although the full intentions of his visit remain unclear.[31] Activity in Russian-occupied Areas (Russian objective: Consolidate administrative control of occupied areas; set conditions for potential annexation into the Russian Federation or some other future political arrangement of Moscow’s choosing) Ukrainian partisans continued to target Russian collaborators in Kherson City and are complicating Russian efforts to establish local occupation administrations Ukrainian civilians continue to flee Russian occupied settlements in southern Ukraine Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov estimated that over 35,000 Melitopol residents left the city last month.[34] ISW previously reported that Enerhodar residents are also leaving the city to avoid collaborating with Russian officials.[35] [1] https://t.me/luhanskaVTSA/3723; https://suspilne dot media/253500-zsu-dovedetsa-vijti-z-severodonecka-na-bils-ukripleni-pozicii-gajdaj/; https://t.me/luhanskaVTSA/3727 [2] https://t.me/milinfolive/85706; https://edition.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-06-24-22/h_331623602548c154add7ac769527eece [3] https://twitter.com/JackDetsch/status/1540320014200340480 [4] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-13 [5] https://t.me/miroshnik_r/7737; https://www.kp dot ru/daily/27409/4607409/ [6] https://gur.gov dot ua/content/kreml-planuie-pidryv-zhytlovykh-budynkiv-u-mozyri-shchob-vtiahnuty-bilorus-u-viinu-proty-ukrainy.html;https://t.me/DIUkraine/734; https://t.me/Bratchuk_Sergey/14355 [7] https://t.me/bazabazon/12115; https://t.me/bazabazon/12117 [9] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/347169520929466; https://t.me/rybar/34323; https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/37791; https://t.me/luhanskaVTSA/3716?single; [11] https://www dot radiosvoboda.org/a/news-vidstup-zsu-z-lysychanska-syevyerodonetsk/31913046.html; https://t.me/stranaua/48623 [12] https://www dot ukrinform.ua/rubric-ato/3514341-vorog-mae-pevni-takticni-uspihi-na-okremih-dilankah-zavdaki-perevazi-v-artilerii-motuzanik.html; https://t.me/luhanskaVTSA/3730 [14] https://vk.com/mil?z=video-133441491_456261422%2Fd994b3b3b5e2f47504%2Fpl_wall_-133441491; https://twitter.com/GeoConfirmed/status/1540366630206808064 [15] https://t.me/espresotb/33236; https://t.me/spravdi/11494 [16] https://t.me/mod_russia/17103; https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/37791 [18] https://www dot ukrinform.ua/rubric-ato/3514341-vorog-mae-pevni-takticni-uspihi-na-okremih-dilankah-zavdaki-perevazi-v-artilerii-motuzanik.html; https://www dot radiosvoboda.org/a/news-vidstup-zsu-z-lysychanska-syevyerodonetsk/31913046.html; https://t.me/stranaua/48623 [19] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/347169520929466; https://www dot ukrinform.ua/rubric-ato/3514341-vorog-mae-pevni-takticni-uspihi-na-okremih-dilankah-zavdaki-perevazi-v-artilerii-motuzanik.html [20] https://www dot ukrinform.ua/rubric-ato/3514341-vorog-mae-pevni-takticni-uspihi-na-okremih-dilankah-zavdaki-perevazi-v-artilerii-motuzanik.html [21] Ukrainian sources likely incorrectly reported that Motuzyanyk referred to Novoselivka in Kharkiv Oblast Motuzyanyk likely referred to Novoselivka in northeastern Donetsk Oblast https://www dot ukrinform.ua/rubric-ato/3514341-vorog-mae-pevni-takticni-uspihi-na-okremih-dilankah-zavdaki-perevazi-v-artilerii-motuzanik.html [22] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/347169520929466 [23] https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/37813; https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/37797 [24] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/347169520929466; https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/37791; https://t.me/rybar/34336 [25] https://www dot radiosvoboda.org/a/novyny-pryazovya-mykolayiv-obstrili-senkevych/31911643.html?fbclid=IwAR2trXw_eKhzEEPeMQbbP8auGDCTNaP9YcIzFyNbm5hiS0gVsoKPcOnIGhE; https://t.me/stranaua/48615; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/346810547632030; https://t.me/der_rada/1679; [26] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/346810547632030; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/347169520929466 [27] https://www dot ukrinform.ua/rubric-ato/3514348-rosiani-namagautsa-otociti-ukrainski-vijska-v-rajoni-lisicanska-minoboroni.html; https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-june-21 [28] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/347169520929466 [29] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/346810547632030; https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=462265935735111; https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=544942880473798 [30] https://www dot ukrinform.ua/rubric-ato/3514348-rosiani-namagautsa-otociti-ukrainski-vijska-v-rajoni-lisicanska-minoboroni.html [31] https://www dot gazeta.ru/army/news/2022/06/24/17996228.shtml; https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/37797 [32] https://sprotyv.mod.gov dot ua/2022/06/24/v-hersoni-pidirvaly-shhe-odnogo-kolaboranta/; https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/06/24/car-bomb-kills-russia-installed-official-in-occupied-ukraine-a78094 [33] https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=462265935735111 [34] https://www dot unian dot net/war/v-melitopole-rossiyane-gotovyatsya-k-referendumu-sozdali-shtab-novosti-vtorzheniya-rossii-na-ukrainu-11877771 dot html; http://ukrstat dot gov dot ua/druk/publicat/kat_u/2021/zb/05/zb_chuselnist%202021 dot pdf [35] https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-june-21 the most important is that such a defense line is being built 20 km from the current front line this could speak of the russian plans and assessment of their own forces regarding the possibility of a further offensive such demonstrative actions may well be a feint aimed only at giving the appearance of future plans to transit exclusively to defense This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Ukrainian troops will have to withdraw from the largely-Russian controlled city of Sievierdonetsk in the Luhansk Oblast (province) Governor Serhiy Gaidai said in a TV interview Friday as the Russian invasion of Ukraine stretches into its 121st day."Remaining in positions smashed to pieces over many months just for the sake of staying there does not make sense," Gaidai said."Remaining in positions smashed to pieces over many months just for the sake of staying there does not make sense." By John Leicester, Inna Varenytsia and Andrea Rosa / Associated Press Russia Attacks Ukraine A security member of a medical rescue team cleans his weapon in the Donetsk oblast region Ukraine >> Reinforced Russian troops backed by airstrikes pummeled a portion of eastern Ukraine on Saturday blowing up bridges and shelling apartment buildings as they fought to capture two cities that would put a contested province under Moscow’s control Russian and Ukrainian forces battled street-by-street in Sievierodonetsk and neighboring Lysychansk The cities are the last major areas of Luhansk province still held by Ukraine The Russian attacks are central to the Kremlin’s reduced wartime goal of seizing the entire Donbas region where Moscow-backed separatists have fought Ukrainian forces for eight years and established self-proclaimed republics Russia also escalated attacks in Donetsk, the other province that makes up the Donbas, the Ukrainian military said as the war reached its 101st day Russian and Ukrainian military officers blamed each other for a fire that destroyed a 1912 wooden church at the Sviatohirsk monastery one of Ukraine’s holiest Orthodox Christian sites which sits on the bank of the Siverskiy Donets River has been hit several times previously during the war President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of “deliberately and systematically destroying Ukrainian culture and its historical heritage along with social infrastructure like housing and everything needed for normal life.” He said 113 churches have been damaged or destroyed during the invasion including some that survived the battles of World War II In recent days Russian forces have focused on capturing Sievierodonetsk which had a prewar population of about 100,000 but Ukrainian soldiers clawed back some ground Zelenskyy described the city’s situation as “extremely difficult” on Saturday Western military analysts said Russia was devoting significant troop strength and firepower to what British officials called a “creeping advance” in the Donbas “The combined use of air and artillery strikes has been a key factor in Russia’s recent tactical successes in the region,” the U.K Ministry of Defense said in a Saturday assessment The ministry warned that after launching so many guided missiles Russia was employing unguided missiles that have “almost certainly caused substantial collateral damage and civilian casualties.” The Ukrainian military reported that it repulsed nine attacks in the Donbas over 24 hours The claim could not be independently verified While Russian forces are concentrated on the Donbas Ukraine has staged counterattacks to try to regain territory in the south After seizing most of the Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk regions offered residents Russian passports and taken other steps to consolidate its hold on occupied areas Russian shelling killed at least three civilians in the Black Sea port city of Mykolaiv said Russian-installed officials and troops face growing resistance among the local population and “an increase in partisan activity in southern Ukraine.” The institute cited accounts on Russian Telegram channels of threats against locals who received Russian passports The Ukrainian Center for National Resistance which established a website to advise people on sabotage and other techniques said Kherson residents were encouraged to burn down a Russian passport center The Ukrainian military noted with approval the trouble that occupation authorities were encountering saying Russian-installed leaders in Kherson were wearing bulletproof vests and traveling in armored vehicles — Ukraine’s foreign minister denounced France’s president for saying the West shouldn’t “humiliate” Russian President Vladimir Putin French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with French newspapers Friday that Putin made a “historic error” in invading but world powers shouldn’t “humiliate Russia we can build a way out together via diplomatic paths.” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted in response: “Calls to avoid humiliation of Russia can only humiliate France and every other country that would call for it … We all better focus on how to put Russia in its place This will bring peace and save lives.” — The bodies of more than 1,300 civilians have been exhumed so far in the region around Ukraine’s capital following Russia’s military retreat from the area Ukraine’s Interior Ministry reported Saturday The bodies were sent to morgues for forensic examination and some 200 of the victims have not been identified ministry spokeswoman Alyona Matveyeva said Since Russian forces left the region in early April Ukrainian authorities have been collecting the dead exhuming bodies from mass graves and collecting evidence for possible war crimes investigations and prosecutions — A Russian rocket hit an agricultural site Saturday in the Odesa region A Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said a missile attack destroyed a base of foreign mercenaries Odesa is home to Ukraine’s largest seaport and therefore vital to the country’s ability to ship grain and other commodities tweeted: “Ukraine is ready to create necessary conditions to resume exports from the port of Odesa The question is how to make sure that Russia doesn’t abuse the trade route to attack the city.” — Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said in an interview published Saturday that Russia is suffering significantly fewer military casualties compared with the first six weeks of the war The lower figures might make Russian commanders “think that they are fighting successfully,” the website Meduza quoted Podolyak as saying he expressed optimism that new Western-supplied weaponry could change the “mathematics” of the war — Pope Francis said he needs to wait for the “right moment” to go to Ukraine A Ukrainian refugee who was in a group of children visiting the Vatican asked the pontiff if he would go to his homeland Francis told the boy he thinks a lot about the children in Ukraine and has a desire to go there He said it’s “not easy to take a decision that could do more harm to all the world than good I must find the right moment to do it.” The pope said he would discuss the issue next week when Ukrainian government representatives visit the Vatican Varenytsia and Rosa reported from Sloviansk