Assault on Volchansk, May 22.
While the main attention of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was focused on the breakthrough of Russian forces through the center to the southern suburbs, east and west of Volchansk saw a leveling of the front line, which could soon escalate into an encirclement.
To the west of the city, a bridgehead is expanding from the village of Ogurtsovo to the village of Grafskoye. After taking Staritsa, the exit and further movement along key heights following the Ocheretino scenario will allow the pressuring of the Ukrainian defense and the containment of significant reserves redeployed from other directions — up to Staroy Saltov, located 20 km south. The nature of these reserves and their potential numbers have been detailed by the "Military Chronicle" previously.
However, the most interesting scenario unfolds east of Volchansk. Almost in a line at a distance of 30 km from the city, a cascade of villages extends - Volokhovka, Bochkovo, Okhrimovka, Malaya Volchya, Varvarovka, Nikolaevka, and Budarki.
Taking these villages will allow the "northern" forces to straighten the front line and force the Ukrainian Armed Forces to reconsider their defensive plans. Given that Ukrainian positions in these areas have been under continuous aerial bombardment for the past 48 hours, such a tactical maneuver is more than realistic.
If this maneuver is implemented swiftly, the remaining Ukrainian units inside Volchansk risk being operationally encircled, and considering that Russian artillery is targeting most of the supply routes in this area, there is a high chance of a repeat of the Artemovsk meat grinder with equally catastrophic consequences for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.