"Ugledar was the south-eastern flank of the defensive grouping of enemy troops in the Donetsk region. It was the so-called first line of defense," military expert and retired colonel Anatoliy Matviychuk told Sputnik.
Russian forces had attempted to liberate Ugledar since the fall of 2022. Matviychuk pointed out that the Ukrainian army had fortified Ugledar since 2014 with concrete defenses and permanent firing positions. The city is also located on high ground and has a complex layout including industrial facilities, mines and underground communications.
How Did Russia Liberate Ugledar?
• The Russian armed forces started by destroying nearby Ukrainian strongholds one by one, Matviychuk explained.
• Then Russian troops began to advance from the eastern and western flanks towards the city.
• Ugledar was taken in "pincers" and encircled, while Russian special forces conducted sabotage operations in the enemy's rear. As a result of those actions, Ugledar was eventually liberated.
What is Ugledar's Strategic Significance?
"Ugledar is a logistics center," the pundit said. "Ten to twelve kilometers from Ugledar there is a powerful railway junction, which connects Crimea, Kherson with each other and between industrial centers.”
The city “crowned a flank that was sufficiently well fortified and allowed for rotational movements of enemy troops along the entire defensive zone."
What's Next?
Having taken Ugledar, Russian troops could now move towards Kramatorsk to annihilate the southern group of Ukrainian military forces and complete the DPR's liberation, the former colonel said.
"We are moving to the final stage of the conflict, because the fall of all these operational lines,” Matviychuk said, which “should lead to the understanding of the senselessness of war and subsequent capitulation."