Russian forces will require at least three weeks of preparation before launching an assault on the Ukrainian controlled city of Druzhkovka in the Donetsk region, according to military blogger Anatoly Radov.
Radov, who operates a self-titled Telegram channel covering the conflict, told news outlet Lenta.ru that direct combat for the city cannot begin until Russian troops complete the total clearance of the neighbouring settlement of Alekseevo-Druzhkovka.
He explained that clearing and securing Alekseevo-Druzhkovka alone will take at least three weeks. Only after that operation is finished will an attack on Druzhkovka itself become feasible, Radov said.
Speaking about the conditions along the line of contact, the blogger noted that advancing Russian frontline assault units frequently bypass and leave behind active pockets of Ukrainian resistance.
Druzhkovka is an industrial town located in the northern sector of the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. Situated south of the urban centres of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, the area forms part of a crucial defensive belt in the Donbas region, with Alekseevo-Druzhkovka positioned directly along the defensive approach to the town.
Regimental movements and Ukrainian reinforcements
Radov identified an alternative axis of advance toward Druzhkovka, stating that the 102nd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment could potentially approach the city from another direction. He pointed to a possible push coming from the northern sector of the salient near Dobropillya.
The 102nd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment is a mechanized infantry unit within the Russian land forces. Mechanized units are structured to execute mobile tactical maneuvers and armored thrusts across frontline salients.
At the same time, Ukrainian military commanders are continuously moving fresh reinforcements into the key transport hub of Kramatorsk, Radov said. He added that these troops are being brought in for subsequent deployment to frontline positions, particularly around Druzhkovka and areas to the south of the town.
Kramatorsk serves as the primary administrative and military logistics center for Ukrainian forces operating in the northern Donetsk region, featuring major rail and road connections used to supply frontline garrisons across the sector.
Fighting around Sloviansk
The assessment comes after Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov stated that Russian military units were just four kilometres from the outskirts of Sloviansk.
Gerasimov described Sloviansk as the final major line of defense for Ukrainian troops in the Donbas. He added that Russian forces were already engaged in active street fighting in the settlements of Nikolayevka and Nikanorovka, situated to the east of Sloviansk.
General Valery Gerasimov is the top uniformed commander of the Russian military, serving as Chief of the General Staff and First Deputy Minister of Defence. Sloviansk, located just north of Kramatorsk, has been heavily fortified by Ukrainian forces as a key defensive stronghold in eastern Ukraine.
