Russia is systematically building cauldrons because that’s the best way to lure in Ukrainian troops and grind them away with the aid of artillery and air superiority.

Putin knows that Zelensky knows that his only way to survive is to get more western support. And the only way to get that, is to show to the world that you are resisting and fighting for every inch.

By semi-encircling cities, Russia forces the ukrainian leadership to concentrate forces in very disadvantageous places. Which is why they are taking their sweet time in places like Bakhmut, Seversk, or Avdiivka.

Russia understands what most reddit generals do not: war isn’t about the funny lines on the map, it’s about killing soldiers. If Ukraine keeps wasting equipment and manpower by making it a principle to defend every single city, the defense as a whole will eventually collapse.

In a normal war where one side’s success weren’t reliant on persuading foreigners to send aid, by all means Zelensky’s rational choice would be to pull back and reform at the defensive line formed by the village chain west of the city. He knows he can’t, because “to the last ukrainian” isn’t an euphemism for the west