After the capture of Sievierodonetsk, Russian troops will need a pause to move on to the offensive, which could lead to a loss of the pace of the offensive gained over the past week.
This was reported by the Defence Intelligence of the United Kingdom.
They noted that despite the Russiansʼ capture of most of Sievierodonetsk, the main road leading to the city is likely to remain under Ukrainian control. At the same time, Russia continues to gain local success due to the high concentration of artillery, while suffering significant losses during the capture of the city.
British intelligence believes that the Russians will then move on to forcing the Siversky Donets. Forcing is extremely important for Russian forces, as they are preparing to shift their attention from Luhansk to Donetsk oblasts.
Potential crossing points are areas between Sievierodonetsk and neighboring Lysychansk and not far from the captured Lyman. In both places, the river is probably still controlled by Ukrainian forces, who destroyed bridges.