CHASIV YARish

RUSSIA HAS ANNOUNCED the capture of the Ukrainian town of Chasiv Yar, again.

It may be that the town has been taken but this is not the first time Russia has claimed to capture Chasiv Yar. In January, there was a claim that it had been taken, reinforced in February by another story of its seizure. Sixteen months after the battle of Chasiv Yar commenced, the latest claim is being disputed by Ukraine.

Asked why such towns always take so long to capture, a Kremlin spokeswoman said: “Well, besides the obvious – the enemy shooting at us from commanding and well-prepared positions – capturing real estate is not our only aim in this operation. We are also about destroying Ukrainian military capability. That is why we take our time moving into towns like Chasiv Yar. We are forcing the Ukrainians to defend them for long periods, so we can inflict maximum destruction before we take the position. Otherwise we could have by-passed all these conurbations, made straight for the Dnieper River and starved the surrounded garrisons out from a distance. We want to bleed Ukraine’s military white. Remember our stated war aims.”

*Quoting the Kremlin does not mean that the Kookaburra Bugle supports Russia – ED