“According to the Ukrainian authorities, some Russian Battalion Tactical Groups (BTGs) – normally made up of 600 to 800 soldiers – now number just 30 soldiers,” the ministry’s latest intelligence update reads. “The front lines in besieged cities are increasingly made up of small groups of soldiers on both sides, moving on foot.”
Some of the tactical advantages of the Russians – such as the increased number of tanks – are less relevant in this setting, according to the British. “That is probably one of the causes of the slow advance.”
The Russians are now said to have taken control of most of the strategically important city of Shevyerodonetsk, after a siege that has been going on for weeks. Hundreds of civilians would still be hiding in a network of tunnels under a chemical factory. Shevyerodonetsk is constantly bombed, but there are also street fights. The three bridges connecting the city to Lysychansk have been destroyed.