Retired colonel and military analyst Anatoly Matviychuk argues that Russia’s seizure of the village of Golubovka underlines the army’s push toward Kramatorsk and Slavyansk. Lenta.ru quoted him as saying this development, in his view, fits into the broader objective of taking this industrial area and bringing it back within the administrative borders of the Donetsk People’s Republic.

Matviychuk stressed that the capture of Golubovka is, as he put it, another step on the road to Kramatorsk. He noted that, at this stage, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are pulling units back from the forward defensive line, trying to fall back deeper into their positions and hold pre-prepared fortified areas.

Golubovka lies less than 20 kilometers in a straight line from Kramatorsk. According to military-oriented public channels, Russian units recently delivered fire strikes against formations of three mechanized brigades, as well as motorized infantry and assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, in the areas of Druzhkovka, Aleksandrovka, Kramatorsk and Konstantinovka. The same reports state that Russian troops have also managed to reinforce a bridgehead for further movement in the direction of Slavyansk.