Russia has expanded the Central Group of Forces' responsibility to the entire Donetsk region, – ISW

Russia has expanded the responsibility of the Central Group of Forces to the entire Donetsk region, – ISW Sofia Rozhik

Russia expanded the responsibility of the Central Group of Forces to the entire Donetsk region the whole Donetsk region/Collage 24 Channel

The Institute for the Study of War reported that the Russian command has expanded the Central Group of Forces' responsibilities to cover the entire Donetsk region. This indicates that Russia has changed its priorities for this group to act only as an “operational-maneuverable force” in the Avdiivka direction.

According to analysts, in exchange, the Russian military command may assign control over Russia's main offensive efforts in the Donetsk region to the Central Group of Forces.

The Central Group of Forces likely lacks reserves

ISW noted that before Russia's offensive to capture Avdiivka from October 2023 to February 2024, Russian troops transferred the Central Group of Forces from Kremenna to the Avdiivka direction. Since then, almost all units of the Central Military District that were stationed in Ukraine have begun to concentrate there

“The Russian military command created the Central Group of Forces as an operational maneuver force on a narrow front in the Avdiivka area after its capture in February 2024 and tasked it with exploiting Russia's tactical offensives and advancing as far west as possible before Ukrainian forces created more cohesive and impenetrable defensive lines in the area,” ISW writes.

These troops significantly broke through to the northwest of Avdiivka in mid-April 2024. The main reason for this was the problems with military equipment in Ukraine, caused by delays in Western aid.

Subsequently, the Ukrainian Defense Forces stabilized the front in this area and slowed the Russian advance: now the Russian Central Group of Forces is advancing at a relatively similar pace to the rest of the Russian troops in other directions of the front.

Due to the offensive operation on Toretsk in mid-June 2024, which was again assigned to the Central Group of Forces, its significant personal forces were transferred from the Avdiivka direction.

The deployment of the defense zone of the Central Group of Forces indicates that the Russian military command can assess the unlikelihood of a rapid tactical advance in the Avdiivka area. It is unclear whether this possible assessment is based on the reduction of restrictions in Ukraine's material and manpower or specifically on the assessment of the Central Group of Forces' inability to complete the assigned tasks, ISW says.

However, they added that this would divert the available Russian manpower and equipment from the existing goals “aimed at achieving tactically significant successes to the northwest and west of Avdiivka.”

The Central Group of Forces probably lacks the reserves necessary to intensify operations in the Avdiivka area to a level that would facilitate a relatively rapid achievement while maintaining offensive pressure in the Toretsk and Donetsk directions, analysts claim.

At the same time, the Russian military command is now trying in every possible way to support offensive pressure along the entire front line, and the task of the Central Group of Forces to carry out offensive operations over a larger area is more in keeping with these efforts than the task of “achieving tactical advantages through relatively rapid maneuver,” says the ISW.