Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, Mariana Bezuhla, has stated that there were almost no fortifications for the army in Severodonetsk, Lysychansk, Bakhmut (known as Artemivsk in Ukrainian), and Avdiivka. She wrote about this on her Facebook page (owned by Meta, a company recognized as extremist and banned in Russia).
“Generals did not plan or control these fortifications. The reports, of course, say otherwise,” Bezuhla believes.
She added that they attempted to do something systematically only in Bakhmut.
“But it turned out to be unsystematic. For example, when our troops retreated on the eastern bank of the city (beyond the Bahmutka River), they positioned themselves behind the fortifications instead of prepared positions,” she wrote.
According to Bezuhla’s information, the DOTs (defensive fortifications) were placed at the western entrance to Bakhmut so that the command could see them, while the Russian army attacked from the east.
She also added that an inexperienced brigade was sent to eliminate the Russian breakthrough from the east, and no military leadership joined them.
Earlier, the US stated that the surrender of Avdiivka could break the morale of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Western officials and Ukrainian military personnel note that as a result of the clashes for Avdiivka, “hundreds of Ukrainian servicemen could have been captured,” which would be a “catastrophic loss” for the Ukrainian army. According to US officials, Ukrainians are experiencing a decline in morale due to failures on the front lines and changes in military leadership. The loss of control over the city may turn out to be a “more significant event” than originally anticipated.
Earlier, three Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers swam across the Dnipro River and surrendered to the Russian Armed Forces.
