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Russian troops are moving towards the complete liberation of Donbass
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.by Sergey Adamov [REGNUM] The Russian Armed Forces are successfully advancing in a number of directions in Donbas. Combat operations continue in the Pokrovsk direction, in the area of Ugledar and Chasov Yar. At the same time, the heaviest battles, as in previous weeks, unfolded on the section of the front west of Donetsk.  As a result of the offensive in the Kurakhovo area, Russian troops took control of the village of Maksimilyanovka in the DPR. The advancing units of the "South" group raised the Russian flag over the settlement. Information about the advance of troops in this area was confirmed by the Russian Defense Ministry. The assault on Maksimilianivka lasted for several weeks and was accompanied by fierce battles in the village's buildings. According to information from the field, the Ukrainian Armed Forces units were ordered to hold each individual house as long as possible, delaying the Russian army's advance as much as possible. But as soon as the garrison began to face complete encirclement, the Ukrainian troops retreated in the direction of Kurakhovo. Earlier, Russian troops also occupied the settlement of Ostrovskoye on the shore of the Kurakhovskoye Reservoir. This led to a partial disruption of Ukrainian Armed Forces communications between the settlements of Gornyak and Kurakhovo. According to local reports, northeast of Kurakhovo, Russian troops have also managed to liberate the settlement of Zoryanoye. Further north, Zhelannoye Vtoroy has also come under the control of the Russian army, Ukrainian sources report. At the same time, Russian troops have reached the outskirts of the settlement of Kurakhovo itself, which may soon allow them to begin an assault on the settlement. The Ukrainian Armed Forces will most likely try to hold the settlement, but will be forced to retreat, predicts the Spanish publication El Pais. Servicemen of the 46th Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces told the publication's journalists that the battles for Kurakhovo will probably begin in the near future, but they do not count on success. Earlier, Ukrainian troops retreated from Ugledar and other large settlements in the area. “We will probably soon see that Kurakhovo will suffer the same fate,” Yevgeny Churbanov, deputy commander of the 46th Brigade’s reconnaissance battalion, told El Pais. Ukrainian soldiers complain about the obvious superiority of the Russian army, the lack of weapons and supply problems. The soldiers in the Kurakhovo area often refuse to carry out orders, fearing losses. The situation north of the Kurakhovskoye Reservoir, in the area of the village of Selidovo, is not the best for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The village is de facto semi-encircled: from the south, Russian troops are moving from the Tsukurino area, from the north - from the Novogrodovka area. Russian troops are also advancing on the city from the east, from the area of the village of Mikhailovka, an informed source told IA Regnum. "The fighting has already spread to the settlement itself. We have successes on the outskirts, we managed to get a foothold here and there. For now, their forces in Selidovo still have a road to Pokrovsk, they are not surrounded. But the road is under fire, as we advance, we will cut it off, so they will have to retreat from Selidovo as well. For now, they are holding on and resisting," the source told the publication. The liberation of Selidovo will allow the main Ukrainian defense node in this area, the city of Pokrovsk, to be bypassed from the south and the enemy group's supply routes to be consistently cut off. Russian troops are currently 10 kilometers from the city, but are so far refraining from a frontal assault. ADVANCE TO THE NORTH South of Kurakhovo, Russian troops are also continuing to build on the success achieved after the liberation of Ugledar. Having captured the commanding heights, the attacking units are advancing in the direction of Bogoyavlenka. Russian troops are also advancing in the Zolotaya Niva area and are gradually pushing back the enemy in the village of Katerinovka. The settlement is divided into approximately two parts. The Russian Armed Forces have managed to establish full control over the Maryinka-Ugledar highway. According to information from the field, as a result of the actions of Russian artillery and aviation, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have developed a critical supply situation - the bridge over the Solodka River, which connects Katerynivka with Kurakhovo, has been destroyed. In the current situation, Kurakhovo may be surrounded in the near future, sources of the Regnum news agency believe. "After Ugledar, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been unable to organize defense in this area; they are clinging to individual settlements, but are constantly retreating to the north. We, in turn, are pressing. Now the main burden of the fighting has fallen on the Katerinovka-Antonovka areas. The enemy is clinging to these areas and has not retreated yet," the agency's source said. At the same time, the formations of the 72nd Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces practically do not launch counterattacks, since they had previously suffered heavy losses during the retreat from Ugledar. CHASOV YAR ON THE EVE OF ENCIRCLEMENT The Russian army's offensive also continues in the former Artemovsk direction - in the area of the city of Chasov Yar. The Russian Armed Forces have crossed the Seversky Donets-Donbass canal and have begun a gradual encirclement of the city from the south. Ukrainian sources acknowledge the advance of the Russian army in the areas of Kalinovka and Grigoryevka. These are bridgeheads created behind the Seversky Donets-Donbass canal. According to unconfirmed information from the field, the Block-9 mine has come under the control of the Russian army. The advance of the Russian army was also confirmed by the military observer of the German publication Bild Julian Röpke. According to him, Russian troops broke through the defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces south of Chasov Yar and advanced 2.5 kilometers to the west along the southern outskirts of the city. Advancement in this area allows, on the one hand, to cut off communication between Chasovy Yar and Konstantinovka, on the other hand, breaking through the enemy's line of defense allows an assault on the city to begin from the southern direction. Ukrainian sources complain that the Ukrainian Armed Forces units in this area have been seriously weakened in recent months and have proven unable to repel a powerful offensive by the Russian army, supported from the air. The liberation of Chasov Yar, in turn, opens the way for an offensive on Konstantinovka and the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration - the last major defensive node of the Ukrainian army in the northern part of Donbass. DISAPPOINTING FORECASTS FOR KYIV The widespread successes of the Russian army and the retreat of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the foreseeable future create a threat of a complete collapse of the Ukrainian front. This is the conclusion reached by Western and Ukrainian observers. According to the Ukrainian publication Ua War Infographics, in August-September 2024, Russian troops occupied 5.5 times more territory than in the whole of 2023. Among the reasons for the failures of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, researchers cite a lack of weapons, the refusal of Western allies to give permission to strike on Russian territory, as well as changes in the tactics of Russian troops. The withdrawal of Ukrainian troops in a number of areas may also indicate the depletion of human reserves that had been accumulating throughout the spring and summer of 2023. It was assumed that these forces would be involved in a new “counteroffensive” by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, but in the end the forces were scattered across the entire front, failing to change the situation in Kyiv’s favor. In recent weeks, Ukraine has seen another wave of harsh forced mobilization — with the goal of replenishing the losses it has suffered. But these recruits, firstly, lack the proper training and motivation, which makes them extremely weak soldiers, and secondly, they may simply not make it in time for the decisive battles in Donbas. Posted by: badanov 2024-10-22 |
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