 Russia is ready to hand over southern Ukraine. Russian troops may weaken their positions in the south due to the successes of the Ukrainian armed forces in the direction of Bakhmut. Ukrainian military expert Peter Chernik said this. Chernik noted that it is more important for Russia to maintain control over the east of Ukraine than to stay in the south. Strategically, the Russian occupation troops are ready to leave the south. Otherwise, they would not have prepared to hold the line at Perikop. Chernik believes that losing the south but keeping the east would be a much smaller defeat for the Russians than losing Bakhmut and other cities in the Donbas. At present, the Russian military is trying in every way to slow Ukrainian armored counter-offensive operations in the south of the country. The core of this approach has been Russia's very heavy use of anti-tank mines. In some areas, the density of its minefields indicates that it has likely used many more mines than laid down in its military doctrine. Noted that having slowed the Ukrainian advance, Russia has then attempted to strike Ukrainian armored vehicles with one-way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles, attack helicopters and artillery.