ISW: Russian troops cannot resume attack on Sloviansk without encircling Lysychansk

Russian troops will try to encircle the AFU in Lysychansk and block ground supply lines northwest of the city before resuming an offensive on Sloviansk.

The AFU is likely to maintain its defenses around Lysychansk and continue to deplete Russian forces, Caliber.Az reports citing data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

At the same time, ISW writes that Ukrainian troops are likely to temporarily retreat from Lysychansk if the Russians threaten Ukrainian strongholds in the area.

The Russians need to cut Ukrainian logistics routes from Bakhmut and Siversk in order to completely isolate Lysychansk. They are likely to encounter difficulties in encircling Lysychansk because of the failure at Seversky Donets in May.

As a reminder, according to the AFU General Staff, Ukrainian fighters repulsed an enemy assault on the outskirts of Lysychansk.