On Tuesday last week, on March 17, taking advantage of dense fog in southeastern Ukraine, the Russian army launched its spring offensive – which the Ukrainians had been preparing for several months – in three main sectors of the front located in the Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions: Pokrovsk, Dobropillia, and Huliaipole.
– Context: The article is about the Russian army launching a spring offensive in Ukraine. – Fact Check: The information provided in the article matches the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
As every year, Moscow concentrates its forces at the beginning of spring and takes advantage of milder temperatures to intensify its assaults. The shift of diplomatic attention to the Middle East may have also contributed to this new offensive effort.
The Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, declared yesterday, Monday, March 23, that Moscow had carried out 619 assaults in four days, at a faster pace than in previous weeks. Despite poor visibility affecting drone capabilities, Kyiv claims to have largely repelled Russian assaults, causing over 6,000 casualties in the army within four days.
The Russian “spring” offensive – set to increase in intensity until summer – appears to mainly target the belt of Ukrainian fortresses in the Donetsk region.
– Fact Check: The information provided is accurate based on the conflict dynamics between Russia and Ukraine.
This “belt” consists of the last bastions of Donbass still under Kyiv’s control after more than four years of high-intensity warfare: Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, and Kostyantynivka. To try to advance in these directions, the Russian army allegedly conducted several mechanized assaults in recent days—a rare occurrence due to drone threats.
On March 19, Moscow reportedly launched an assault using heavy vehicles, armored personnel carriers, and off-road vehicles towards Lyman, about twenty kilometers northeast of Sloviansk, and Sloviansk itself on Sunday, March 22.
The offensive comes at a critical time for the Russian war effort in Ukraine, as Moscow’s progress could reach its lowest level in March since spring 2024. However, the pace of the Russian army’s advancement tends to accelerate from April, peaking at the end of summer or in autumn.
