Day 372: March 02Today a lot of updates are coming from the east. Here, the situation continued to deteriorate, and Russians started to engage their most elite forces to finally close the pocket, capture Ukrainian troops and put an end to the 7-month-long battle. However, the next Russian steps became so self-evident that Ukrainians set in motion a plan that would eliminate any possibility of an easy victory by changing the setting completely.Last time I told you that Russians decided to overwhelm Ukrainians that are holding the flanks with the number of assaults. I also told you that this tactic gave them results and allowed them to get closer to Bohdanivka. The freshest reports suggest that they were stopped by heavy artillery and mortar fire, which forced them to adapt and spread out. For this, Russians once again tried to establish full control over Dubovo-Vasylivka and use it as a launching ground for their attack on Orihovo-Vasylivka, but due to constants fire, it is virtually impossible to maintain a permanent presence in the village, which is why it largely remains in a grey zone. Nonetheless, Russians had some success advancing along the tree belts but only up to a certain point. The same concern Russian advancement in the direction of Khromove – they got closer to the tree belts in front of the highway. There is an active discussion as to what the Ukrainian Command is planning and whether they control the situation in Bakhmut at all. Ukrainian President Zelensky has been reaffirming that Ukrainians will not fight for Bakhmut at any cost. Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Rodnyanskyi stated that Ukrainian forces would withdraw from Bakhmut when needed but specified that this does not mean that Russian forces would be able to take Bakhmut quickly.Simultaneously, some officials stated that Ukrainians are sending even more troops in Bakhmut, and today’s footage revealed that this information is correct. Also, Ukrainian Commander Madiar said that they would continue to hold the city as long as the higher command sees fit.At first glance, these statements contradict one another and create a semblance that Ukrainians are sending more troops inside the doomed city and just wasting their resources at the expense of their counteroffensive. However, if we look deeper, we can see that this is not what is happening.First of all, judging by the video, Ukrainians have gathered a lot of forces between Chasiv Yar and Khromove, so they are not being sent inside Bakhmut. Secondly, the main goal of Russians is to capture this small village on the outskirts of Bakhmut to completely cut off any movement in and out of the city. Thirdly, in order to achieve it, as reported by the Ukrainian Commander of Ground Forces, Wagner forces are increasingly committing their most prepared assault units to offensives in the area.So, as we can see, Ukrainians have assumed high-ground positions in preparation for defeating Russians when they conduct a decisive attack. Judging by videos, it is also clear that the ground in the lowlands is soaked with thawed snow, while the ground on the hills is relatively dry, which gives Ukrainians another massive tactical advantage. If Ukrainians succeed in defeating Russians in the battle for Khromove, Russians will suffer severe losses in the most elite personnel and will be forced to reconsider their plans. By reinforcing the flanks and establishing tight control over the hills around Chasiv Yar, Ukrainians are planning to make flank attacks not feasible for Russians. Under such circumstances, Russians would be once again forced to resume battles inside the town, facilitating gradual withdrawal from the city, as described by the Presidential Advisor. It is obvious that this is a very difficult operation, but if Ukrainians are successful in conducting it, then this will be, indeed, the best possible course of action for Ukrainians and the worst for Russians.