by Bernhard at Moon of Alabama
In the last Ukraine situation report I discussed the choice of General Oleksandr Syrski as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He is likely to support the more aggressive choices the Ukrainian president Zelenski will make.
For mostly public relation reasons Zelenski demands constant attacks on Russian forces and no retreat of Ukrainian forces until absolutely necessary. Syrski is willing to deliver on that even as history says that he is unlikely to be successful:
Syrski, who was born as a Russian, had lost the cauldron battles of Debaltsevo (2015), Soledar (2023) and Bakhmut (2023). Currently Avdeevka is in a cauldron and likely to fall.Rumors say that Syrski has already ordered reserves to reinforce the troops in Avdeevka.
The latest news says that some reinforcements have indeed arrived:
Some units of the 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade in Avdiivka have been replaced by other units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Source: Ivan Sekach, Chief of Public Relations of the 110th Separate Mechanised Brigade named after Marko Bezruchko, in an interview with Radio Liberty on 13 February
Quote: “We lack sufficient capabilities to maintain control of the city, but reinforcements are arriving, and we rely on friendly units. For the first time in almost two years of the 110th Separate Mechanised Brigade’s operation, some of our units have been fully withdrawn from combat for rest and rotation. Indeed, reinforcements have come. I won’t specify [which] unit, but it provides substantial support. We feel a bit more at ease since its arrival.”
We do not know for sure which brigades have replaced the completely worn down 110th Mechanized. Rumors have it that the 3rd Assault Brigade was sent to relieve Avdeevka. The 3rd had evolved out of the ‘nationalist’, i.e neo-nazi, Azov militia. Other news said that at least parts of the planned reinforcements for Avdeevka were successfully attacked on their march while still being far away from the city.
All lines of communications to Avdeevka are under Russian fire but…
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