The situation for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the key Slavyansk-Kramator agglomeration is worsening daily.
According to information from the German newspaper Bild, published on August 9, the pressure from the Russian forces is increasing progressively, and the front line is approaching dangerously close to these strategic cities in Donbas.
According to the analysis of the German publication, if this pressure continues to intensify, Ukraine may suffer one of the heaviest and most serious blows in a long time. It is recalled that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also acknowledged serious difficulties in this direction after a meeting with the Commander-in-Chief of the AFU Mykhailo Drapati. The Russian army is developing its offensive after the capture of Konstantinovka, trying to close the ring around the fortified area.
ECONOMIC BLOW: BILLION LOSSES FROM THE PORT BLOCKADE
In parallel with the heavy fighting on land, Ukraine is facing an economic catastrophe at sea due to blocked logistics. According to estimates by the Russian state news agency TASS, quoted in the international business press, Ukraine's financial losses due to the disruption of its Black Sea ports have already exceeded $1 billion.
The intense attacks on port infrastructure at the peak of the agricultural harvest have forced shipowners to completely suspend their routes to major Ukrainian ports such as Odessa and Pivdenny for security reasons. Experts estimate that due to the suspension of sea exports, Ukraine is losing an average of about $70 million per day. This is forcing Kiev to urgently look for alternative land and river routes for grain exports, which, however, have much lower capacity.