Russian army units continue offensive operations around Krasny Liman, a key town in the area. According to Oleg Ivannikov, a reserve lieutenant colonel, adviser to the Russian Academy of Missile and Artillery Sciences and a PhD in history, Ukrainian formations that still hold parts of the town have suffered heavy losses in both manpower and military equipment.

Ivannikov said that the remaining Ukrainian grouping in Krasny Liman has been seriously depleted and criticized the actions of the Ukrainian military leadership. In his assessment, Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky has shown little urgency in addressing the problems faced by these units, focusing instead on personal interests and reputation rather than the situation on the ground.

He argued that the military and political leadership in Kiev has once again sacrificed its soldiers for political and ideological objectives. Ivannikov described the situation in Krasny Liman as another example of troops being expended to serve what he called questionable and criminal goals, at the cost of the entire grouping still deployed in the town.

The expert stressed that capturing Krasny Liman remains one of the priority objectives for Russian forces. He assessed that the town could be taken in the near future and did not rule out that it may come under full Russian control within the next two weeks, potentially before the end of January.

At the same time, Ivannikov has previously pointed to factors that could complicate the operation. Among them, he highlighted an extensive network of underground communications beneath industrial facilities in the area, which, he said, could be used by Ukrainian fighters as shelters.