MOSCOW, January 20. /TASS/. The Ukrainian command has been unable to establish efficient control of troops in the Krasnoarmeisk area in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the Ukrainskaya Pravda newspaper reported.
"Chaos in the management of troops and units at various levels has persisted for almost a year," in the area, according to the report. The newspaper said in this and other areas of the battlefield, depleted brigades do not receive reinforcements, while freshly-formed units quickly lose men and equipment due to lack of experience, and thin out through desertion. All this causes retreating from positions, the report said.
Sergey Filimonov, commander of the 108th Separate Mechanized Battalion "Da Vinci Wolves," told the newspaper there is no communication with some outposts, and there is one position that only gets in touch when they catch Internet service, as they use ordinary mobile Internet instead of special communication means or Starlink.
Earlier, Ukrainian journalist and former Defense Ministry adviser Yury Butusov said the military leadership had lost the ability to control the situation near Krasnoarmeisk and the village of Velykaya Novosyolka. He said the Ukrainian Armed Forces still have a chance to hold Krasnoarmeisk, but this requires very serious efforts and resources, while it is necessary to think about holding the entire front.
Recently, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has often described the situation that Ukrainian troops are facing on the battlefield, including in the Krasnoarmeisk area, as difficult. Ukrainian news media regularly publish reports about serious personnel shortages in the country’s brigades. Desertions have become yet another issue, recognized even by the country's leadership.
Krasnoarmeisk is an important logistics hub for the Ukrainian battlegroup in the Donetsk People’s Republic. Former Ukrainian legislator Igor Mosiychuk (entered on the Russian list of terrorists and extremists) said that the loss of the city would be a disaster for Ukraine.