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Minor note, what I though was a water treatment plant west of Rodinskoe, is in fact a mine complex with pits where resources had been extracted now filled with water. This mine complex does not have a particularly large refuse mound, but even a modest elevation coupled with heavy industrial structures provides a decent advantage, and has been the key to Ukrainian forces re-entering Rodinskoe over and over again. Russia won't be able to secure the town until they take that position, and they seem to realize that. Currently they're flanking it from the north and south. There are in fact tree lines running along the fields that run right up to the complex, but it's currently winter, so the lack of foliage means they offer relatively little concealment. I think we will see a Russian attempt to take this mine complex, and I personally suspect the first attempt won't be successful. I think it will take multiple tries to get it right.
Tangentially relevant to this, it seems Russian forward elements entered Biletskoe, the next little town in western Donetsk region, but there's no confirmation of their consolidation or elimination. It will be interesting to see if Russia focuses on eliminating the Ukrainian positions at the mine complex first, or goes for Biletskoe instead. The capture if Biletskoe could threaten the supply lines into the entire area north of Pokrovsk by placing them within easy drone range. From the Ukrainian side this area has been one they've been actively focused on. I think they understand very well Russia's intent and have successfully prevented any dramatic Russian advances after the fall of Pokrovsk, seemingly having learned the lessons of Avdeevka (even while Ukrainian officialdom continued to pretend Pokrovsk hadn't fallen). I think fighting in the arc from just north of Dobropol'ye down to Rodinskoe and even Grishino is key to the upcoming fight for Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.
Two other possibilities are open to Russian command, one is quite slow and difficult, the taking of Konstantinovka and Druzhkovka, enveloping the Kramatorsk area from the south-west. The other would be to rebuild the salient north of Mirnograd and bypass the Dobropol'ye area that way. They're in the process of doing both things but it's slow going.
Tangentially relevant to this, it seems Russian forward elements entered Biletskoe, the next little town in western Donetsk region, but there's no confirmation of their consolidation or elimination. It will be interesting to see if Russia focuses on eliminating the Ukrainian positions at the mine complex first, or goes for Biletskoe instead. The capture if Biletskoe could threaten the supply lines into the entire area north of Pokrovsk by placing them within easy drone range. From the Ukrainian side this area has been one they've been actively focused on. I think they understand very well Russia's intent and have successfully prevented any dramatic Russian advances after the fall of Pokrovsk, seemingly having learned the lessons of Avdeevka (even while Ukrainian officialdom continued to pretend Pokrovsk hadn't fallen). I think fighting in the arc from just north of Dobropol'ye down to Rodinskoe and even Grishino is key to the upcoming fight for Slavyansk and Kramatorsk.
Two other possibilities are open to Russian command, one is quite slow and difficult, the taking of Konstantinovka and Druzhkovka, enveloping the Kramatorsk area from the south-west. The other would be to rebuild the salient north of Mirnograd and bypass the Dobropol'ye area that way. They're in the process of doing both things but it's slow going.
