Russian forces continue their coordinated efforts to capture Severodonetsk.

Russian forces have likely abandoned the task of completing a large-scale encirclement of Ukrainian units from Donetsk to Izyum in favor of completing the capture of the Luhansk region.

This is stated in the latest report of the American Institute for the Study of War for May 15.

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“The Russian military command is likely to prioritize the battle for Severodonetsk in the future, with some efforts directed at disrupting Ukrainian land lines in the eastern part of the Donetsk region,” analysts said.

Russian forces are continuing a coordinated effort to capture Severodonetsk from the north and south, resulting in a smaller encirclement of Ukrainian forces than originally thought.

“Failed attempts by the Russians to cross the Seversky Donets in the Kremennaya area may shift Russian encirclement operations further east, closer to Severodonetsk through Rubizhnoye, rather than conducting a wider encirclement in several directions,” experts say.

Russian forces are also likely to be cutting back on their advance towards Slavyansk from Izyum, perhaps due to the slow pace of the offensive there.

(C)UNIAN 2022