For a map, click here. You can enlarge the map, if you open it separately.
By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
Rebel forces claim that they have 8,000 Ukrainian troops surrounded at the Donetsk town of Debaltsevo, and are currently strengthening the ring around the Ukrainian troops, according to Russian language news sources, and videos.
Donetsk military spokesman Lt. Colonel Eduard Basurin said Friday that the main route into the "cauldron" at Debaltsevo is now fully under rebel control, thereby shutting 8,000 Ukrainian troops off from supplies.
The current rebel offensive comes literally on the heels of a successful defensive operation after the Donetsk Airport fell to rebels less than three weeks ago. Subsequent Ukrainian counterattacks pressed just after the fall of the airport cost the Ukrainian Army dearly.
Despite that rebel victory, the two main goals of those operations, the cessation of Ukrainian artillery fire into residential zones, and forcing Ukrainian Army units out of two key towns near Donetsk city have failed.
The Debaltsevo operation began only a week ago as a number of attacks on the salient, formed last August when Ukrainian forces attempted a large encirclement battle, which failed when the southern pincher became bogged down in Ilovaisk. The resulting "cauldron" in Ilovaisk was liquidated over a number of days, some sources say, by a total of as many as 4,000 Ukrainian troops.
Only two days ago, rebel forces attacked and took two localities near the "mouth" of the salient at Krasny Pakhar and Тrоiske, and were awaiting Ukrainian counterattacks.
But the battle was actually several kilometers south of Krasny Pakhar and much closer to Debaltsevo, in fact on the town's very doorstep. The day before, battles raged at Uglegorsk, and on the eastern outskirts of Debaltsevo -- as well as at Krasny Pakhar -- but on Friday the fighting shifted to other localities nearer to Debaltsevo.
On Friday, rebel forces announced that they have achieved an "operational encirclement" of Ukrainian troops inside the Debaltsevo salient.
Reports among rebel media conflict with official versions, however, with such military journalists as Boris Rozhin saying that the "lid on the cauldron" has not been shut. A graphical map posted on Boris's Live Journal site shows the Debaltsevo salient essentially still open for resupply and reinforcement by the Ukrainians. In fact, even current graphics supplied by Russian military journalists show that the main route, M04, into Debaltsevo is not physically occupied by any rebel force.
According to Basruin, the "most intense fighting" has taken place in Debaltsevo itself, and in the Chernukhino and Kalinovka settlements. He also said that Kalinovka, west of Debaltsevo, has been taken by the rebels, as the Ukrainian Army presses counterattacks at Ugelogorsk.
According to Basurin, rebel forces are going to continue to reinforce the ring around Debaltsevo.
Basurin said the Ukrainians have lost five tanks, seven APCs (BMPs and BTRs), 12 artillery pieces, 97 killed or wounded. And since January 15th, Ukrainian forces have lost 129 tanks, 102 APCs, 71 artillery pieces, 40 automobiles and 1,439 dead. Additionally 28 Ukrainian soldiers have surrendered to rebel forces.
It should be noted that even though the supply route into the city has not been physically occupied, rebel forces are within three kilometers from physically occupying the road near Debaltsevo.
Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues for Rantburg.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com. You can read past articles about the 2014 war in southeastern Ukraina by clicking here.