The battlefield Ukraine’s new commander-in-chief inherits as Russian troops push toward Ukraine’s main defensive stronghold in Donbas

Ukraine’s new commander-in-chief, Mykhailo Drapatyi, inherited a difficult situation on the front lines from his predecessor, Oleksandr Syrskyi.

In the first half of the year, the Ukrainian army managed to hold back the Russian offensive in the northern part of Donbas, but in recent weeks Russian forces have accelerated their advance toward their main objective — the Kramatorsk and Sloviansk agglomeration.

Ukraine’s own long-running offensive in eastern Zaporizhzhia Region, while it halted the Russian advance westward, has not achieved decisive results (though its new phase looks promising).

The Ukrainian command must now decide whether to continue the attacks in the Zaporizhzhia region or divert forces to repel the Russian offensive in Donbas. ...