The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) published another summary of the situation on Ukrainian fronts. The main conclusions of the summary are commented by the Russian BBC service.
Firstly, the defenders of Mariupol, who were blocked at the Azovstal plant, most likely surrendered after the Ukrainian authorities agreed with the Kremlin with the conditions of their exit from the enterprise. According to American experts, the Kremlin may have agreed to this deal in order to declare complete control over Mariupol and thus counteract discontent in social networks in connection with a recent defeat of Russian troops during the crossing of Seversky Donets and the general lack of progress in the Donbass.
Secondly, the main efforts of the Russian troops are focused on trying to approach Severodonetsk. The ISW report notes that the desire to win the battle for this city can also be explained by the desire to respond to criticism of the general course of the Russian military campaign in Ukraine in the information space. Assessing the details of the Russian offensive in the Luhansk region, American experts write that the Russian army is trying to take control of the roads leading to Lisichansk and Bakhmut, and achieves minor successes.
Further, with reference to the data of the Ukrainian General Staff, ISW writes that the Russian army is trying to replenish the units and accumulate reserves for a further attack on Slavyansk in the Donetsk region. According to the experts of the institute, on May 17, Russian troops made several unsuccessful attempts to advance to this city. At the same time, they were able to achieve limited progress in the Liman area.
In the Kharkov direction, Ukrainian troops continue to squeeze the Russian army. According to the head of the Kharkov regional administration, Oleg Sinegubov, the Russians are trying to counteract Ukrainian counter -access in the direction of the city of Volchansk – an important transport hub about 90 km from Kharkov. At the same time, the Armed Forces continue to threaten Russian supply routes on the way to raisins from Volchansk. According to the Pentagon, Russia probably continues to hold positions close to Kharkov, in particular, settlements along the road in Belgorod