by Sergey Adamov
[REGNUM] Russian troops continue to push back the enemy along the entire line of contact, forcing the Ukrainian Armed Forces to surrender their fortified positions.
The most tense section of the front remains the area of the settlement of Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk) - the last regional center in the eastern part of Donbass that remains under the control of Kyiv.
The offensive in the Pokrovsk direction continues confidently, despite the attempts made by the Ukrainian Armed Forces Command to stabilize the situation at the front. The day before, Kiev reported that additional reinforcements had been sent to the front and that the situation had "improved." In reality, the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to retreat, surrendering one settlement after another.
In particular, it became known about the liberation of the settlement of Memrik, which is located south of the E50 Pokrovsk-Karlovka highway. The message about the liberation of the settlement was confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Earlier, the department also reported the liberation of the settlement of Kalinovoye on the approaches to Selidovo.
Neo-Nazi formations from the Azov regiment were deployed as a "fire brigade" in this direction. The presence of motivated fighters is intended to boost the fighting spirit of the units that remain at the front for six months without rotation or reinforcements, a source for Regnum news agency, who is located in the Pokrovsky direction, reports.
"In some places they have stopped rolling back and retreating, now they regularly try to counterattack. As a rule, they do not succeed, but at least they show initiative. I will not say that this creates problems for us, but the enemy has pulled up reserves, that is a fact," the agency's interlocutor reports.
He also noted that the arrival of Azov at the front could indicate two things: either Kiev considers the situation in the Pokrovsk area to be critical, or the radicals are called upon to cover the rotation of forces at the front.
Previously, the "Azov" troops were used in the Avdiivka area to cover the retreat of the Ukrainian garrison from the city, and after the operation was completed, they were withdrawn to the rear. Moreover, the Ukrainian troops at the front are in desperate need of rotation.
Servicemen of the 79th Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which received the nickname "airborne" due to its unsuccessful and bloody counterattacks, complained to The Economist about the shortage of troops and high losses. According to the servicemen, the situation at the front is getting more complicated, logistics are becoming problematic - with interruptions in the supply of ammunition and the evacuation of the wounded, the article notes.
"We brought our last reserves into the battle and threw our logistics guys into the trenches," Ukrainian soldiers say.
The servicemen of the 79th Brigade also complained about the superiority of Russian artillery and aviation, especially the use of glide bombs, which they have no way of defending themselves against.
"THE UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES ARE FACING BIG PROBLEMS"
Sending untrained fighters to the front line led to individual units being “forgotten” during the retreat, the command of the neo-Nazi brigade “Aidar” (the organization’s activities are banned in the Russian Federation) reported. According to information from Ukrainian sources, a group of Ukrainian soldiers found themselves surrounded in the area between the settlements of Lysovka and Zhelannoye.
It is reported that there are many wounded in the encircled units.
However, these setbacks seem trivial compared to what awaits the enemy forces in the Pokrovsk direction in the foreseeable future. After the liberation of the settlement of Memrik and the advance of Russian troops in the Ukrainsk area, the Ukrainian Armed Forces operating in this direction found themselves on the verge of encirclement, reports Forbes military observer David Axe.
The 59th Motorized Infantry and 68th Jaeger brigades, the 117th Territorial Defense Brigade and the 15th National Guard brigade are at risk. The Ukrainian Armed Forces command in the Pokrovsk direction is thus faced with a difficult choice: continue fighting with an inconvenient front configuration or begin withdrawing forces. The front is now completely dependent on the formations of the 25th Airborne Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which is holding the front in the Ukrainsk area.
A source for the Regnum news agency confirmed that Ukrainian troops in the Pokrovsk direction are in a difficult situation from a strategic point of view.
"As for how they plan to encircle them, and whether they plan to do so at all, that's a question for the command. But if we think in theory, it's important to cut their defenses now. In particular, if we cut the E50 highway, separate Pokrovsk from Selidovo, Selidovo from Kurakhovo, in a word, disrupt communications. In short, they're in for big trouble," the source notes.
He also confirmed that during a retreat, the Ukrainian Armed Forces often "lose" individual fighters and entire units. As a rule, untrained fighters from among those mobilized are left on the front lines. They are offered to "cover" the escape of regular units and command staff.
This attitude towards personnel serves the only goal that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are pursuing: to slow down the Russian offensive as much as possible, regardless of losses.
THERE ARE RESERVES, BUT THEY ARE IN THE REAR.
The Russian army's offensive also continues in the area of the city of Toretsk. According to local reports, fighting continues in residential areas on the southern, eastern and northern outskirts of the settlement.
"The development has been turned into a solid "fortification". It is important for us not to break through with force, not to try to push them through. Now "artillery" and aviation are pinpointing firing points and identified defense nodes, for a decisive assault it is also necessary to deprive the enemy of supplies," explains a source of IA Regnum in the region.
According to available information, the Ukrainian Armed Forces command has not yet decided to send reserves to this section of the front. At the same time, Kyiv continues to hold a large group in the rear, which has not been involved in combat operations in any of the threatening directions.
According to Western sources, 10-15 mechanized and infantry brigades, each numbering up to 2,000 people, remain in reserve. F-16 aircraft, which until now have only been used in the rear to shoot down drones and missiles, also remain in reserve.
There are also reports that the Ukrainian command has withdrawn some of its reserve units from the Belarusian border to form a new group, designed to go on the offensive in one of the sections of the front in the foreseeable future.
It is assumed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces may try to send new forces to organize another provocation on the Russian-Ukrainian border as of early 2022. A number of sources suggest that the Zaporizhia direction may be chosen for the offensive.
At the same time, Russian troops can use the enemy’s attempt to counterattack for their own offensive and the collapse of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ defensive front.