by Sergey Adamov
The fighting in the SVO zone continues. Both sides are actively trying to seize the initiative, seizing more favorable positions in light of possible peace negotiations.
Despite the fact that the pace of the Russian offensive in Donbas has slowed, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are suffering defeat after defeat in other areas of the front. In the future, this could lead to serious changes on a strategic scale.
During the offensive in the north of the Kharkov region, Russian troops liberated the settlement of Topoli. This was announced on February 24 by the Russian Defense Ministry. The day before, the department also reported the liberation of the settlement of Novolyubovka in the north of the Luhansk People's Republic.
The success of the offensive in this direction allows us to form a full-fledged bridgehead for a subsequent offensive on the strategically important city of Kupyansk. The Russian Aerospace Forces' aviation is also actively operating on this section of the front. The day before, Russian aircraft struck the crossing over the Oskol River. The pontoon bridge between the settlements of Osinovo and Kupyansk-Uzlovaya station was hit.
Previously, this crossing had repeatedly become a target for Russian aviation and artillery, but the enemy invariably restored it with the help of engineering units.
The destruction of the bridges across the Oskol is of strategic importance in light of a possible attack on the city. The enemy also maintains a presence on the left bank of the river, but with the destruction of the bridges the group may be cut off from the main forces in Kupyansk and on the right bank.
Ukrainian sources are also sounding the alarm, noting that further success by the Russian army could lead to the encirclement of Kupyansk and, as a consequence, the loss of the strategically important city.
FIGHTING IN THE POKROVSKY DIRECTION
Against the backdrop of intensified military operations in the border area, the situation in the “main” theatre of military operations in the eastern part of Donbass has relatively stabilized over the past few weeks.
Assault units of the Russian army and units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are attempting local counterattacks, refraining from large-scale offensive operations.
The front stabilized along the line Zelenoe Pole - Vodyanoe Vtoroye - Peschanoye - Kotlino - Udachnoye - Andreyevka. The enemy repeatedly attempted to change the status quo in its favor and push Russian troops away from the key highway connecting Pokrovsk with the Dnepropetrovsk region, but each time unsuccessfully.
Nevertheless, the Ukrainian Armed Forces command does not seem to be abandoning plans for a major counter-offensive operation in this area, front-line sources tell IA Regnum.
"The enemy regularly launches counterattacks. With small forces, but often. It can be assumed that this is more likely reconnaissance in force, and the most interesting is yet to come. There are reports that reserves are being brought to Pokrovsk, which are skillfully hidden in the urban development and industrial zone. Their drones are not letting up either. In short, an offensive is more than likely, but we are ready," the source notes.
The concentration of forces in the Pokrovsk area predictably led to the fact that in other areas of the front the Ukrainian Armed Forces were left without reinforcements and were forced to retreat.
LANDING BEHIND ENEMY LINES
South of Pokrovsk, the Russian Armed Forces are building on the successes achieved after liberating a key hub of Ukrainian defense — the city of Velyka Novosyolka. During the ongoing offensive, units of the Vostok group liberated the village of Novosyolka (about 15 kilometers from the city).
According to front-line sources, the liberation of Novosyolka was preceded by a breakthrough by a group of Russian troops in armored vehicles into the enemy's rear, landing troops on the southeastern outskirts of the settlement. During the battle for the settlement, part of the enemy garrison was destroyed, and the surviving forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were forced to retreat north.
North of Velikaya Novosyolka, Russian troops are expanding their bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Mokrye Yaly River. In a few days of fierce fighting, assault units liberated the village of Novocherevatoye.
The ground forces' offensive is supported by the Russian Aerospace Forces, which carried out a series of airstrikes on the enemy's rear north of Velyka Novosyolka. The enemy's command post in the village of Komar, where the command staff of the enemy's 117th separate mechanized brigade was located, was hit. The command post was used to coordinate the actions of the brigade's units and organize defense on a strategically important section of the front, where the borders of the DPR, Zaporizhzhya and Dnipropetrovsk regions converge.
Ukrainian sources believe that the next target of the Russian army's offensive in the area of Velyka Novosyolka will be the village of Burlatskoye, which, after the liberation of Novosyolka and the village of Komar, found itself half-encircled.
Several factors contribute to a successful offensive in this area, notes a frontline source of the Regnum news agency. There are no longer any large settlements under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces around which a defense can be organized, and the enemy has almost no reserves left to plug the gaps.
"After the liberation of Velikaya Novosyolka, and before that, Ugledar, they have nowhere to impose urban battles on us. In the bare steppe, especially in winter, this is a paradise for our drones. Positions created in the open field are often left almost without cover, we bypass pockets of resistance and take the enemy by maneuvering," the source explains.
The fighting also continues in the area between Velikaya Novosyolka and Ugledar. According to reports from the field, Russian troops managed to drive the enemy out of the settlement of Ulakly and advance in the direction of Constantinople.
A further offensive in this area threatens to encircle the enemy group in Constantinople and to enter into operational space - to the border of the Dnepropetrovsk region.
MUTUAL ATTACKS ON THE REAR
The past week was also marked by an increase in attacks on communications and rear areas, with both sides striking. The Ukrainian Armed Forces Command is gradually introducing into combat multi-role F-16 fighters supplied by Western countries. The aircraft are often "spotted" in the Kharkov and Sumy regions, supporting forces operating in the Kursk direction.
Typically, the F-16s are escorted by "Soviet-made" Su-24 and MiG-29 aircraft that have been adapted to use NATO-style air-to-ground munitions. Other sources record the appearance of F-16s practicing the dropping of air-to-ground munitions at training grounds in western Ukraine.
As the Ukrainian Air Force adapts, F-16s will increasingly see combat action, likely to be joined by Mirage-2000s supplied by France.
Last week, Russian troops launched a series of strikes against the enemy's rear using missile systems and rocket artillery. A major success was the strike against the base of the enemy's "Lyut" brigade's military equipment in the vicinity of the village of Konstantinovka. Ukrainian sources recorded the aftermath of the strike, publishing footage of the destroyed military equipment online.
The strikes on Konstantinovka are taking on a strategic character in light of possible battles for the city, which could begin very soon.