The situation in Donbas remains very difficult for the Ukrainian army. In the battle for the city of Severodonetsk, the Ukrainian defenders still had to retreat. Now the battles are fought for control over neighboring Lisichansk.

According to military expert and retired Australian Armed Forces General Mick Ryan, what at first glance seems like a slow defeat in the war is actually a tactical reorientation of Ukrainian forces.. This is written by the German edition of Focus.. The last weeks have been very difficult for the defenders of Ukraine. However, nothing says that Kyiv is losing the war.. Losing territory is bad. But it would be even worse if the Ukrainian troops entered into a grueling struggle with the Russian invaders.. And this would lead to the fact that Ukraine completely lost its army.

According to the Australian general, the defenders of Ukraine have to temporarily cede territory in the east in order to win the war as a whole. Ryan is convinced that the Ukrainian military acted tactically sensibly during the battles for Severodonetsk. They fought long enough to exhaust the Russian troops.. Russia was able to make progress only slowly and with heavy losses. Although the defenders of Ukraine also suffered losses.

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The high command of the Ukrainian army had to make difficult decisions, given the extremely difficult situation in Severodonetsk. There was also political pressure due to demands to stay in the city and defend it to the last. In addition, the Ukrainian troops had to stay in the city as long as possible in order to inflict maximum damage on the Russian troops.. But, finally, the defenders of Ukraine retreated to well-prepared defensive positions in the west of the city..

Give up territory to keep the army? According to Ryan, it was an extremely difficult balancing act on the Ukrainian side at all levels: tactical, operational and strategic.. The reason is that if the decision to retreat was made too late, it could have ended much worse for the defense side..

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However, what happened, according to Ryan, was a tactical regrouping. Therefore, the loss of territory cannot be interpreted as a sign that Ukraine is gradually losing the war with Russia.. Rather, the Ukrainian military “temporarily gave up territories in order to win the war”.

“Despite their extreme courage, the Ukrainians should not engage in a grueling struggle with the Russian army, which prefers such tactics. Ukrainians had a terrible week. But that's not the same as losing the war,"