HANG IN CHARLESTON.
I've been in those streets in the rain just normal rain and it gets pretty sketchy. Charleston has a strange set up.....
After Russia suffered a disastrous defeat near Izium and Kharkiv, Ukraine is pushing east of Izium and is close to liberating the entire Kharkiv Oblast and the northern parts of Donetsk Oblast before entering the Luhansk Oblast, Saks said on the "Vikerhommik" radio show on Thursday.
Russian forces have tried to hold on to the outskirts of the city of Lyman and the area around Svatove in the north to stop the Ukrainians moving into Luhansk, he added.
"But the area is defended by what's left of Russian forces who escaped from Izium and a few other units. There's not too many of them, but because the Russian leader said there would be no retreating, their commanders could not stave off the threat of encirclement that was created a few days ago. It seems that the Ukrainians completed the maneuver yesterday and are probably busy reinforcing their new positions," Saks suggested.
It is likely that Ukrainian units will not be pushing forward now, and will try to surround the Russian troops and deal with them first. Over 1,500 Russians are trapped there – there is talk of two battalion tactical groups and forces that retreated from Izium, Saks emphasized.
It is not the only heading where the Ukrainians are active, Saks remarked. They are also trying to push toward Svatove north of Lyman. "Once that falls, Russia will have serious trouble supplying the entire northern part of Donetsk Oblast," he found.
"Right now, Ukraine has made it possible for Russia to pull its troops out of the area, while I believe this window will remain open for a few more days to avoid urban fighting. It would probably not be easy to root out the Russian presence from the encircled settlements," Saks said.