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Fighting in Kharkiv region: Russian troops open new front
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Sergey Adamov

[REGNUM] The Russian Armed Forces continue to advance within the framework of the SVO. Combat operations are taking place along the entire front line in the DPR, LPR, Kharkiv and Zaporizhia regions.

The main event of the past week was the completion of the operation to liberate Toretsk (Dzerzhinsk).

"As a result of active offensive actions by units of the 1st, 9th and 132nd Guards separate motorized rifle brigades of the 51st Army and the volunteer formation "Veterans" of the "Center" group of forces, the city of Dzerzhinsk in the Donetsk People's Republic was liberated," the Defense Ministry reported.

The battles for the city continued for several months. As a result, the Ukrainian Armed Forces were forced to retreat to the area of ​​the village of Konstantinovka.

At the same time, in general, a decrease in the offensive activity of the Russian Armed Forces is observed in Donbass, while the main burden of fighting has shifted to the north - to the Kharkiv region.

The fighting is taking place in the north of the Kharkov region, where the Russian army is building on its previous successes. Ukrainian sources report that the situation on the front in the Kupyansk area is constantly deteriorating, as the Ukrainian Armed Forces command is transferring all combat-ready reserves to the Kursk region and leaving certain sections of the front without cover.

Fighting in the Kharkiv region continues in several directions at once. South of Kupyansk, assault units of the Russian army are expanding the bridgehead on the left bank of the Oskol River near the settlement of Kruglyakovka. At the same time, north of Kupyansk, the Russian Armed Forces crossed the river near the settlement of Dvurechnaya and occupied the nearby settlements of Figolovka and Zapadnoye.

According to information from the front, the enemy's main forces in this direction are concentrated for the defense of Kupyansk and Kovsharovka itself and to the north - in the area of ​​the regional center Velykyi Burluk. Kyiv lacks either reserves or equipment to create a continuous line of defense, as in Donbass, and attempts to prolong the fighting in small settlements do not produce the desired result.

Rare AIFV-B-C25 infantry fighting vehicles, a Belgian modification of the American M113 equipped with a 25mm cannon, were spotted for the first time in the Kupyansk direction. At least two vehicles were destroyed by fiber-optic-controlled drones in a closed position near the village of Kolodeznoye.

There are also reports of the intensive work of the Russian Aerospace Forces, which are carrying out strikes against the enemy’s rear.

The advance of the Russian army creates a real threat for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to lose a large section of the border between the Belgorod and Kharkov regions. At the same time, the Russian Armed Forces can develop the achieved success by launching an offensive on Kupyansk, the front-line sources of the Regnum news agency report.

"Someone says that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have overslept our offensive here, but in fact they see everything, they just can't keep up with everything. Now we can advance along the border, bypassing their main defensive lines, create a new front - without sudden breakthroughs, but effectively. And then develop the achieved success in strategic terms," ​​the source told the publication.

The minimum task on the section of the front north of Kupyansk remains the liberation of the settlements of Kolodeznoye and Velykyi Burluk. Further advancement of Russian troops will complicate the situation for Ukrainian troops in Vovchansk, where fierce fighting has continued in recent months.

Russian troops can reach the rear of the enemy group and force the Ukrainian Armed Forces to leave the city. The Russian Armed Forces can also expand the bridgehead on the right bank of the Oskol River and develop an offensive in the direction of Kupyansk, cutting off the supply routes of the enemy group in the strategically important city.

THE UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES ARE TRYING TO COUNTERATTACK
Success in the Kharkov region may create a serious threat to the enemy group in the Donetsk direction. The day before it became known that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have sharply increased their activity in several sections of the front in Donbass, in some places going on the counteroffensive. This was reported, in particular, by the head of the DPR Denis Pushilin.

"Krasnoarmeyskoye direction: here we see that the enemy is trying to counterattack. But the initiative is now completely, 100%, with the troops of the Russian Federation. Also in this direction we see a gradual cutting off of all logistics along the Dimitrov-Konstantinovka-Chasov Yar highway," Pushilin wrote on his Telegram channel.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying to slow down the victorious offensive of the Russian army with local counterattacks, notes the French publication Le Figaro. According to journalists, Ukrainian troops have launched a series of attacks in the area of ​​Chasov Yar, Toretsk and Pokrovsk. The commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, Major General Mykhailo Drapatiy, has arrived in Donbas to lead the counterattack and coordinate between individual units.

The authors of Le Figaro suggest that the counteroffensive of Ukrainian troops is intended to fix the existing line of attack in Donbass against the backdrop of reports of peace talks being prepared to resolve the situation in Ukraine. But so far, the actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have not led to significant changes on the line of combat contact, sources of the Regnum news agency note.

"There is some movement, but local counterattacks have been undertaken before. Now, perhaps, the intensity has increased a little, because reinforcements have appeared from the enemy's fresh mobilization. And in general, their formations have become denser. But in strategic terms, the situation has not changed at all, we will continue to press in any case," the agency's interlocutor notes.

Ukrainian sources expect that Russian troops may soon go on the offensive again in one or several directions. It is assumed that the "pause" in Donbass is caused by the regrouping of assault units that are preparing to begin the final stage of the operation to encircle the city of Pokrovsk.

ENCIRCLEMENT BEFORE THE ASSAULT
As the operation to liberate the city enters its decisive stage, the question arises about another major enemy defensive line in the Donbass – the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration.

The day before, it became known that the front had become more active in the area of ​​the settlement of Torskoye northeast of Slavyansk. According to reports from the field, Russian troops were able to advance 500–600 meters deep into enemy positions.

Further advance in this direction will allow Russian troops to advance towards the city of Krasny Liman.

In combination with the success of the offensive in the Kupyansk direction, the advance in the Torskoye area will give Russian troops the opportunity to hang over the enemy's Slavyansk fortified area from the north. Further south, assault units of the Russian Armed Forces have advanced in the direction of Konstantinovka.

The fighting in Chasovy Yar, another city turned into a fortified area by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, is expected to end soon, after which Russian troops may begin to advance on Slavyansk from the east.

Russian troops are confidently completing preparations for the final stage of the battle for Donbass.


Posted by: badanov 2025-02-11
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=739740