The battle for the chemical plant in the city of Vovchansk will determine the fate of the Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region, nzz.ch reported.
While the plant is currently under Russian control, there are reports that Russian troops are surrounded and have surrendered in large numbers. However, confirmation of these reports from reliable sources is still awaited.
What is undeniable, however, is that the Russian occupiers are under great pressure. Ukrainian and Western sources reported that the site of the plant had been bombed by the Ukrainian Air Force for days. Russian sources also confirm that the situation of Vladimir Putin's army is critical.
The plant has great strategic importance for the Russians. From here they tried unsuccessfully to cross the river and capture the city. The loss of the factory could potentially force the Russians to leave Vovchansk.
Russian troops are facing heavy losses in northeastern Ukraine. There are even reports of a possible counteroffensive by Ukrainian troops near Vovchansk.
On this background, Forbes writes that the Russian leadership cares more about the equipment, because it is expensive, and throws soldiers into suicidal assaults. The situation in Vovchansk has turned into an infantry massacre. Russian infantry go into battle and die in colossal numbers as a result of the successful work of Ukrainian drones and artillery.