Triangle cities .. What are they? What does her return to Ukrainian control mean?

KIEV

- "The operation to liberate the Lugansk region from the Russians has officially begun, and Ukrainian flags have begun to return on the roofs of government buildings in the residential communities there."

Practically, with these words;

The head of the Military Administration of the Lugansk region in the Donbass region, Sergey Haiday, announces that his country's war with Russia has entered a new turning point, with Ukraine's "counter" operations heading towards an area distinguished from others by the control of the Russians, which included about 99% of its territory.

And last Wednesday, the administration actually announced the entry of Ukrainian forces into 4 residential communities in the southwest of the Lugansk region, but attention is turning to 3 major cities in them, known as the "Triangle Cities", because of their strategic importance to both sides, in addition to other important neighboring cities and towns as well. .

What are "triangle cities"?

And what is its importance?

What does its return to Ukrainian control mean?

We are talking about the cities of Lyschansk, Severodonetsk and Robyzhny in the west of the Lugansk region, close to the administrative borders of the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions.

These cities were the last strongholds of the Ukrainian presence in the region months ago, and their fall into the hands of the Russians enabled them to control almost the entire administrative borders of the Lugansk region.

This is because it is located on the international road "B-66", which connects them to each other and leads to other major cities in the region, especially the city of Lugansk in the south, the capital of the region and the so-called "Luhansk People's Republic", as well as the town of "Kremena", which is the most prominent site The concentration of Russian forces.

The same route is used by the Russians to send their reinforcements to many fronts in the Lugansk and Donetsk regions together, especially since it is the shortest and fastest route for this purpose.

Capabilities and Symbolism

The cities of Severodonetsk and Lysichansk have huge wealth and industrial potential, especially in the field of chemicals, and they share a view of the river “Seversky Donets”;

The most prominent rivers of the Donbass region.

And Severodonetsk alone has great symbolism;

It was the first city to witness a pro-Russian separatist movement in the region in 2014, before it became a major center for the command of Ukrainian forces against the Lugansk separatists;

Therefore, controlling it has a great psychological impact on both sides.

The Russian army has suffered heavy losses in the past weeks (Reuters)

imminent attack

The one who looks at the interactive map created by the Ukrainian forces in cooperation with the "British partners" is well aware that the "Triangle Cities" are among the closest and most important subsequent targets of the Ukrainian forces in their advance operations.

These towns are 13-20 km away from the village of Bellahorivka;

The last residential gathering that the Ukrainian forces entered in the area, meaning that it is - easily - under the fire of the Ukrainians.

But what are the reasons that enabled the Ukrainians to achieve this progress?

What are their subsequent goals?

In an interview with Al Jazeera Net, Ivan Stupak, a military expert at the "Ukrainian Institute for the Future" and a former adviser on military security affairs in the Verkhovna Rada, says;

"The superiority of the Russians was thanks to the cover of fire, through the heavy bombardment that precedes the advance of their forces, or crushes the cities and lands that are inaccessible to them. This is a well-known Russian method, they do not provide ammunition for this purpose."

He added, "Practically, the operations of our forces' advance were preceded by 4 full weeks of bombing sensitive Russian sites with high-precision Western weapons, on command and control bases, ammunition depots, fuel stores, barracks and concentration points. In favor of the Ukrainians, the owners of the land, in exchange for the escape of the occupiers,” he said.

south first

The expert believes that Ukraine is interested in regaining control of the "triangle cities" and strategic locations in the east, because this will enable it to advance and strike in a deeper way, but it is more interested in achieving successes on the southern fronts, adding that the intensification of battles in the Donbass means the loss of many citizens who were recruited by Russia in Lugansk and Donetsk, and their percentage is actually close to 100% there.

He explained that most of the problems (the bombing and supply of the Russian forces) come from the Black Sea and the Crimea;

Therefore, he believes that the incursion to the south and the approach to Crimea will greatly reduce the pressure of the Russians, and will pose a great threat to one of their most prominent bases (Sevastopol).

It seems that the Russians are well aware of this priority. Despite the progress of the Ukrainians to the east, Moscow recently sent about 2,000 "recently mobilized" soldiers to Crimea, and most of the heavy military vehicles are heading towards it, according to the military command in the "south".

Between hope and fear

Against the background of the progress of the Ukrainians and the restoration of the lands, the Ukrainians are awaiting - with hope and trepidation - what will happen in the coming days.

Victoria, a Ukrainian woman who was wandering in front of the wreckage of Russian vehicles displayed in Mikhailovska Square (central Kyiv) told Al Jazeera Net, "When they liberated the city of Balaklia, from which we left in the Kharkiv region, we felt very happy, and we hope that this progress will continue. We trust the armed forces, and in Ukraine will become free and independent.

"I expect anything from the Russians in response. Their terrorism has been going on for many years. They may kill 1,000 or 10,000 people, but they will not kill all of the people, and they will achieve nothing in the end," said the young Yuri.

Indeed, Russia has recently intensified its bombardment of residential buildings, military and civilian infrastructure, and vital installations in several areas, which led to the interruption of electricity and water supplies to thousands of residents.