Russian forces likely to rely on attrition to take Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, analyst says

A Russian military analyst has said that Russian forces are likely to rely on attrition tactics in any effort to take the eastern Ukrainian cities of Slavyansk and Kramatorsk, according to a report by the Russian state news agency TASS.

Andrey Marochko, described in the report as a military expert, said both cities are heavily fortified, which would make a rapid assault difficult. Attrition tactics typically involve wearing down an opposing force's personnel, equipment and supply lines over time rather than attempting a swift breakthrough.

Slavyansk and Kramatorsk are located in Ukraine's Donetsk region and have remained under Ukrainian control for most of the war, functioning as key administrative and logistics hubs for Kyiv's forces in the east.

The TASS report, as cited, did not include further detail on a specific timeline or troop movements tied to the assessment, and the claims could not be independently verified.

The eastern front has remained an active area of fighting, with both sides periodically reporting shifts in territorial control around fortified urban centers.