Russian invaders can still capture Severodonetsk, US military think tank warns

At the same time, Ukrainian defenses remain strong in this key position, the Institute for the Study of War or ISW said.

The ISW noted that the Ukrainian military is successfully rebuffing Russia's attempts to encircle its positions in the Luhansk Oblast and repelling the frontal attacks of the invaders in Severodonetsk.

At the same time, analysts say that Ukrainian forces are probably more exhausted than can be judged from the statements of head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration Serhiy Hayday.

The Russian military has concentrated all of its available resources on the battle of Severodonetsk to achieve a modest success, while the Ukrainian military remains flexible enough to be able to not only launch local counterattacks elsewhere (such as north of Kherson) but also to launch effective counterattacks in Severodonetsk, the ISW said.

It also noted that Russian forces had launched a series of unsuccessful offensive operations southwest of Izyum in Kharkiv Oblast, and in the Lyman area in the north of Donetsk Oblast.

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