Following the maxim “divide and rule” the Kremlin intends to alleviate the pressure that its troops are suffering on the battle fronts of Zaporizhia and Bakhmut, now aggravated by the Ukrainian attacks against Crimea. The move has consisted of mobilizing dozens of thousands of Russian soldiers who were stationed in Lugansk –since winter–, and beginning an attack on the Kupiansk-Kreminna axis that has forced Zelensky’s army to relocate part of its fighters there.
Although the counteroffensive has slowed down its march – as the Ukrainian generals are already beginning to recognize – the Russian troops It is difficult for them to defend their places in some points. And the new strategy of harassing the Crimean peninsula – where Ukrainian forces are using underwater drones and long-range missiles – has added pressure.
By launching an offensive on the country’s easternmost front, Russia would be able to unload some of that pressure on the south. In the movement maps it can already be seen how the number of Ukrainian units from Kupiansk to Kreminnaand also around the town of Lyman.
Aspect of one of the streets of Kupiansk, in the east of Kharkov, where the Russian bombardments do not give up
Maria Senovilla
Those troops, who will no longer be able to reinforce the counteroffensive in the south, have hard work ahead of them because together with the 100,000 soldiers, the Kremlin has mobilized hundreds of tanks There is talk of up to 900, supported by as many artillery systems. While it’s not a novel move, and we’ve seen it several times since the start of the invasion, it’s still effective.
Ancient weapons, bloody battles
The Kupiansk-Kreminna axis is a combat front of about 100 kilometers that runs along the border between the Ukrainian provinces of Kharkov and Lugansk –the latter completely occupied by Russia–, until reaching the Soledad-Bajmut axis which is already in the Donetsk province. They are two especially active axes, in which a good part of the casualties of both armies are concentrated.
[Rusia bombardea el puerto de Odesa como “represalia” por el ataque contra el puente de Crimea]
The preparation of the Kremlin soldiers who have now entered the active phase has been questioned, since much of it could come from forced mobilizations which took place last year. But the huge amount of heavy weapons that they would have along those 100 lethal kilometers anticipate especially bloody combat.
According to the spokesman of the Operational Eastern Command of Ukraine, Sergi Cherevaty, it is about “old soviet equipmentsince the latest models were used at the beginning of the invasion”, but the numerical superiority is a fact.
Infantry soldiers forming up on the Ukrainian Eastern Front
To face what is coming their way, Zelensky’s Army would need to reinforce its artillery, and support the infantry brigades that can do little in the face of a hail of cannon fire. Besides, Russian supply lines are secured in this part of the countrygiven that they have a direct line to the Russian border through occupied Lugansk.
Living 9 kilometers from the battlefront
While thousands of soldiers are concentrating in Kupiansk – and surroundings – to repel the Kremlin offensive, the situation in the city is increasingly critical. Andry Oleksandrovich took over the Military Administration from him in October last year, when Ukrainian troops dislodged the Russians.
[Rusia advierte que “la Tercera Guerra Mundial se acerca” si la OTAN eleva su ayuda a Ucrania]
His predecessor handed over the city three days after the invasion began – today it is in Russia, where he fled before Zelensky’s soldiers arrived during the autumn counteroffensive. During the eight months of occupation, the population received a clear message: “Forget Ukraine, this is Russia now“.
Who dared to protest or was suspected of passing information to the Ukrainian forces from within, visited the torture chambers found in all unoccupied cities – to the astonishment of the international community. “There was only one pro-Ukrainian demonstration at the beginning of the occupation, which was suppressed, and then the regime of fear began,” Oleksandrovich recalls.
Andry Oleksandrovich, current head of the Kupiansk Military Administration
“Afterward, a good part of the civilian population left their homes, taking advantage of the humanitarian corridor that was agreed in March 2022and went to Kharkiv,” he adds. Internally displaced persons who, in many cases, no longer have a home to return to. And those who did return, live with Russian bombing on a daily basis.
“I can’t tell you about the course of the current counteroffensive, but for us there hasn’t been a big difference: unfortunately we haven’t felt peace even after the liberation, because We have the combat front 9 kilometers from the city and within the reach of the Russian artillery”, laments the head of the Administration, whom I interview in a basement where the administrative offices have been installed precisely to protect themselves from the bombs.
Before the invasion, there were 50,000 residents. Today there are some 11,000 people left and, given the military operation that is taking place next to their houses, they may have to evacuate again.
“We have registered 527 minors“, explains Oleksandrovich. “But from the Administration we are urging people to evacuate, organizing buses for those who decide to do so. We publish all the information on our social networks on a daily basis,” he insists, visibly concerned for the safety of the civilian population.
[La escuela de guerra de la retaguardia de Bakhmut: del campo de maniobras al frente de combate]
A war against progress
“After the Russian occupation this was a desert: there was no electricity, no water, no gas, no telephone. Now transport is working again, there are communications and 50 supermarkets have reopened,” said the head of the Military Administration. “But There is much to doyou have to rebuild, and it is very difficult while they continue to bombard us,” he adds.
After the interview with Oleksandrovich, walking through the streets of devastated Kupiansk, I witness a new artillery attack. It is our daily bread. What I can’t see is any of those 11,000 peoplewho are still resisting 9 kilometers from the battle front, and who probably live longer in the basements than on the surface.
[Ucrania bombardea el puente de Crimea y avanza en el frente de Bakhmut con rumbo a Mariúpol]
The first time I visited Kupiansk, recently liberated, I saw one of the most heartbreaking scenes I have seen in this war: in one of its streets I came across the corpse of a man, face down, in the shape of those silhouettes that appear on the crime movies. It was carefully covered by a white bedspread., and next to him they had left a handwritten page that said: “It is my husband, please, someone help me take the body home.” And he gave an address.
“I can’t tell you that we expected something like this. Since Zelensky arrived, everything has precipitated, due to the direction his government took, looking at Europe and betting on development, but we all knew what kind of neighbor Russia was for many years,” Oleksandrovich tells me before saying goodbye. “Russia does not want a developed Ukraineand this is a war against progress.”
