According to Oleg Ivannikov, an adviser to the Russian Academy of Rocket and Artillery Sciences and a retired lieutenant colonel, Ukrainian troops in Krasny Liman are now trying to hide in the city’s underground infrastructure.

He said that the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Aleksandr Syrskiy, had intended to turn Krasny Liman into an impregnable stronghold, but that plan ultimately failed. Ivannikov stated that Russian artillery is currently «burning out» Ukrainian defensive lines on the approaches to the city.

As he described it, a significant part of the Ukrainian grouping, trying to save their lives, has gone underground and taken shelter in deep communication tunnels beneath industrial enterprises in Krasny Liman, many of which were built back in Soviet times.

Ivannikov noted that Russian units have now been tasked with driving Ukrainian troops out of these shelters. He stressed that this is a difficult operation: the industrial facilities in Krasny Liman are covered by an extensive network of underground passages. These communications, he said, were constructed in full compliance with standards and include bomb shelters that Ukrainian forces are using as improvised hospitals.

At the same time, Ivannikov argued that evacuating wounded Ukrainian soldiers from these underground structures is virtually impossible. In his view, their only real chance to survive is to surrender to Russian troops, who can provide first aid and take them to the rear for treatment.

He added that after work in the underground facilities is completed, Russian forces will still have to clear the city of scattered enemy groups hiding in tree lines and ruined buildings.