While the Ukrainian march to reclaim lost land has been slowed by autumn mud, Kyiv’s forces continued to press their advance in the south, attack hastily established Russian defensive lines in the northeast and defend against a grinding assault in the Donetsk region.
Both armies are now dealing with the challenges posed by the thick clay sludge that hindered Napoleon’s army in 1812, slowed Hitler’s advance on the eastern front in 1941 and wreaked havoc on Russia’s plans for a lightning advance into Ukraine in the spring of this year. Twice a year roads in Ukraine can be swallowed in slop, and fighting vehicles caught in the morass can find themselves vulnerable to enemy fire.
And without roads, the Ukrainian advance will move slower. Despite the adverse weather, battles raged as Ukraine sought to surround the city of Kreminna, in the Luhansk region, which was captured by the Russians in April. If the Ukrainians can retake Kreminna, they can compromise a vital Russian logistical artery used to supply units in Luhansk as well as in the northern part of the Donetsk region. Farther south, in the Donetsk region, Russian forces continued their frontal assaults on the battered city of Bakhmut, where they have failed to gain significant ground despite months of daily bombardments on military and civilian targets.
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