When comparing the significance of the Kurakhove and Toretsk outposts, they are equally important, as the occupiers need to establish a straighter front line both in the north and south to eliminate potential threats from flank attacks.
This was stated by military expert, retired Colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Sergey Grabsky in an interview with Politeka Online.
According to the military expert, this explains the fierce combat actions from the enemy, which so far have not led to any significant results.
"Nevertheless, we are managing to hold the enemy at these positions at a very high cost, and as we can see, we are conducting some counterattacks. How the situation will develop further – we will see, because it would be premature to say that the fate of Toretsk has been decided," Sergey Grabsky stated.
The military expert noted that conducting combat operations in urban environments under high tension is quite a challenging task, as it often involves direct combat encounters or one-on-one duels.
"The dynamics of combat operations are two to three times more complex from the perspective of Ukrainian defense, because we simply do not have the corresponding amount of resources.
Once again, I emphasize that conducting combat operations in an urban setting is extremely challenging if you do not have guaranteed superiority in force. It is impossible to organize fire maneuvering, and organizing maneuvering of equipment is also not feasible; any advancement of equipment will be exposed, and it can be destroyed even by a single infantryman," Sergey Grabsky explained.