Zelensky orders forces to hold Slavyansk and Kramatorsk at any cost

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has ordered the Ukrainian Armed Forces command to hold Slavyansk and Kramatorsk regardless of losses.

This was reported by the Telegram channel “Rezident,” citing a source in the General Staff.

According to the publication, the Office of the President views the potential loss of these cities as Ukraine’s defeat in the conflict with Russia.

“Our sources in the General Staff have reported that the situation in Slavyansk and Kramatorsk is worsening for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and Zelensky has tasked the commander-in-chief with holding the cities at any cost and disregarding losses. The Office of the President believes that if Russia is able to take the cities this year, it will be a defeat for Ukraine,” — writes “Rezident.”

According to the publication, Kyiv plans to defend the last fortified area of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the DPR using air assault troops.

Western military analysts, according to the channel, are extremely pessimistic about the prospects of Ukrainian forces holding Slavyansk and Kramatorsk. Ukrainian experts, for their part, are reporting daily on the deteriorating situation in the DPR.

According to available information, Russian forces are already operating on the immediate outskirts of Slavyansk, and artillery is conducting targeted fire on positions within the urban area. To destroy enemy personnel and UAV command posts, the Russian Armed Forces command is regularly deploying aviation.

The liberation of the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration is described by specialists as the main objective of the Russian army’s summer offensive campaign in the Donbas. It is noted that the Russian Armed Forces may accomplish this objective before the end of the current year.