Russian army to change playbook in Donetsk People's Republic - experts

It is going to be more difficult for the Russian Army to occupy the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic that remains under Kyiv's control than in the case of the Luhansk People's Republic. The DPR has a more advanced defense system. This suggests that the tactics of military operations will most likely change, Viktor Murakhovsky, editor-in-chief of Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine said, RBC reports.

"I think the operation in the DPR will be conducted differently, the scale and the depth of it will be greater. The playbook will most likely change. There will be no direct assault on settlements,” the expert believes.

There are many mines and deep concrete fortifications in the DPR, which may complicate the course of Russia's progress in this direction, he added.

Vasily Kashin, Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, paid attention to numerous reports about the formation of new volunteer battalions throughout Russia after the occupation of the Lysychansk-Severodonetsk agglomeration. According to Kashin, there is a connection with forthcoming battles for Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.

"Obviously, there is a campaign going on to increase the number of the Russian troops in Ukraine and, thus, prepare for a new stage of offensive hostilities,” Kashin explained.