The Russians are expanding the breakthrough zone in Ocheretino. Where it leads?

ISW, following military bloggers on both sides, writes, based on geolocated footage, that the Russians entered the center of the village of Solovyevo south of Ocheretin, having previously captured Novobakhmutovka last night.

On the other side of the ledge they advanced two kilometers to Novokalinov.

According to ISW, in this situation, it is increasingly difficult for Ukrainian troops to hold the Berdychi-Semyonovka-Umanskoye line, to the right of which there was a breakthrough, and the Ukrainian command may withdraw its units further to the west if it considers the threat too serious.

At the same time, the authors of the report, taking into account the pace of advance of the Russian army so far and its remaining reserves, do not expect a rapid advance of the Russians towards the key city of Pokrovsk, which lies 30 km to the west of this line.

“Russian forces will likely continue to make tactical gains northwest of Avdiivka, but these gains are unlikely to translate into an operationally significant breakthrough, let alone a collapse of Ukrainian defenses west of Avdiivka,” ISW analysts conclude.

Ukrainian military journalist Bogdan Miroshnikov wrote in another brief report on his Telegram channel on Thursday that the situation on this section of the front was very difficult.

“In Ocheretin the situation has not improved. The enemy controls most of the village. In Novokalinov everything is quite difficult. In Krasnogorovka [село дальше по фронту на юг, возле самого Донецка — Би-би-си] additional advance of the occupiers,” Miroshnikov said laconically.

“The Donetsk front is feeling bad, very bad. “Many negative factors and problems came together at one moment,” writes a Ukrainian military journalist.

At the same time, as ISW believes, the capture of Chasov Yar, forty kilometers north of Ocheretin, will be much more important and promising for the Russian troops, if they manage to achieve such success, so they are putting serious pressure on this sector as well.

“The capture of this town will likely allow Russian forces to further launch an offensive once morest the cities that form an important defensive belt for the Ukrainian army in the Donetsk region. Russian forces might conceivably take Chasov Yar, although they may not be able to do so with lightning speed,” writes ISW.