It is already clear that Kurakhove will be occupied; the only question is how much time, effort, and resources the Russian troops will need to expend on this.
This was stated by military-political analyst Alexander Kovalenko from the "Information Resistance" group in an interview with Yevgeny Kiselyov.
The military expert reminded that active combat operations around Bakhmut lasted for 9 months, and Avdiivka held out for about six months, but it is more appropriate to compare Kurakhove not with Bakhmut and Avdiivka, but with Chasiv Yar.
"Since Kurakhove, like Chasiv Yar, is divided. For instance, Chasiv Yar continues to hold its defense, even though it has been ongoing for over a year. The offensive on Chasiv Yar began simultaneously with the offensive on Avdiivka, which is an interesting indicator. A significant barrier for Russian troops has been the canal that divides Chasiv Yar into eastern and western parts; a similar situation exists in Kurakhove – there is a long ravine," said Alexander Kovalenko.
According to the expert, this natural obstacle may slow down the advance of Russian troops for a certain period and serve as a mini-analog of the canal in Chasiv Yar, but the main issue for Kurakhove is different – it concerns the South and North, as Russian troops are attempting to bypass Kurakhove from the North and reach the area of Dachne via the Kurakhiv Reservoir.
"Dachne is a village located directly on the N 15 highway, and the N 15 highway is the only western logistics route that allows the Kurakhove garrison to evacuate from Kurakhove in case of an encirclement threat. Therefore, preventing the cutting off of the N 15 is, to some extent, a far more important task than slowing down Russian troops in the eastern part of Kurakhove," added Alexander Kovalenko.
