Russians plan to resume railway communication between the occupied Luhansk region and Crimea/Getty Images

The occupiers declare their intention to restore direct railway communication between the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the annexed Crimea through the so-called “land corridor”. Read more in the exclusive blog for the Channel 24 website.

Against the background of Russia's changing tactics in the Lugansk region and the enemy's efforts being concentrated on the encirclement of Severodonetsk, a representative of the occupying authorities of Crimea visited Lugansk. The latter said that he was solving the issue of resuming the railway communication between the pseudo-republics and the annexed peninsula.

Russia does not want to give up the temporarily occupied Donbas

We are talking about the fact that Russia is considering the possibility of restoring a direct rail link to address both military and purely economic issues. And in this context, I would like to note: this is a kind of sign, a signal of the Russian occupation forces that they will never give up the territories of the Lugansk and Donetsk regions, as well as the land corridor they seized to Crimea.

I also note that information has been received about the demining of the port of Mariupol by the Russians, which the occupiers also plan to use for both military and economic logistics. Thus, Russia significantly reduces the supply arm for itself.

The Russians were successful in the South of Ukraine due to the short supply arm from the Crimea, from where they could quickly transfer the amount of equipment they needed. Now they are aiming to do the same in the East.

New Russian Offensive

This means that Russia is still considering the possibility of a full-scale offensive. Therefore, to believe that Putin plans to limit himself to accessing the administrative borders of Donbass and Luhansk region is to deceive yourself. And when now there are statements that the war will end by the beginning of autumn, this is not true.

I will add that now about 20 battalion tactical groups – these forces can be deployed to intensify hostilities both on the borders of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, and to move deep into the Kharkiv region. Despite the superior forces of the enemy, the Armed Forces of Ukraine give a worthy rebuff.

The thesis that Severodonetsk is a “second Mariupol” is outright nonsense that is being spread in the Ukrainian media. The city is not blocked, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine have the opportunity both for logistics and for withdrawing to previously prepared defense lines. There is no catastrophe yet, you should not frighten people.

Recall that Ukrainian defenders over the past day, May 25, repelled 10 attacks by Russian invaders in the Donetsk and Lugansk directions.