by Sergey Adamov
[REGNUM] Russian army units are advancing in several directions at once in Donbass. In the eastern part, the offensive continues along the entire front, stretching for tens of kilometers from Pokrovsk to the south to the Kurakhovskoye Reservoir.
After a series of local defeats and the threat of the front collapsing, the Ukrainian Armed Forces command sent reinforcements to the area to stop the Russian army's advance. But they failed to do so. Russian forces liberated the village of Zhelannoye Pervoye, which was confirmed by the Russian Defense Ministry.
In addition, according to reports from the field, the offensive continues in the direction of the settlement of Ukrainsk. Ukrainian sources fear that the liberation of Zhelanny Pervy will allow Russian troops to liberate a large area on the right bank of the Volchya River and north of Krasnogorovka.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces units located in this area are in an extremely difficult situation and are trying to escape from the emerging encirclement, a source for Regnum news agency in the Pokrovsk direction reports.
"Now in the area of the village of Zhelannoye Vtoroye, where the river crossing is, soldiers from separate formations have gathered, mixed up, everyone wants to retreat. They have no command to hold this area, someone will definitely be "forgotten" there. But, most likely, they will retreat across the river in the near future," the source predicts.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces Command is trying to establish a front along the highway along a number of large settlements: Kurakhovo - Gornyak - Ukrainsk - Selidovo - Pokrovsk. According to Ukrainian sources, fierce fighting continues in the Ukrainsk area. Russian troops have taken the city in a semi-ring and are advancing in the direction of the highway, trying to cut the Ukrainian Armed Forces defense into several parts.
Further north, the offensive is developing in the area of Mirnograd. However, Ukrainian sources suspect that all military actions are now just preparations for a large-scale operation, the ultimate goal of which is the liberation of Pokrovsk, the last regional center under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the eastern part of Donbas.
EXCHANGE OF FIGHTERS FOR A WHILE
The day before, it became known that Russian troops began to destroy key objects of the enemy's transport infrastructure in the Pokrovsk area. In particular, the strike was carried out on the "Eastern Overpass" - a key transport artery connecting Pokrovsk and Mirnograd. Strikes are also being carried out on bridges in the rear of the Ukrainian group.
At the same time, Ukrainian sources report that the units being transferred to the front line are unable to contain the advance of the Russian army. The servicemen, recruited from among those forcibly mobilized, have not undergone proper training, therefore they often suffer losses and abandon their positions, said Verkhovna Rada deputy Maryana Bezugla.
“These are mostly middle-aged people, primarily those who were unable to ‘decide’. <…> The vast majority of training centers [have] instructors without combat experience – those who ‘decided’, ” the deputy said.
However, sources of the Regnum news agency note that the reinforcements sent to the front allowed the Ukrainian command to gain some time to prepare a defense in the rear. In essence, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are exchanging unprepared fighters for the time needed to turn Pokrovsk into a "fortress city."
"We must understand that for our troops the task of liberating Pokrovsk is the most difficult since Avdiivka. Even more difficult, because the city is much larger, and they are now compensating for the lack of fortifications with construction work. The industrial zone there is also powerful. In short, there is a lot of work ahead, and first of all, preparatory work," the source notes.
Russian troops may try to encircle the city instead of a frontal assault on the urban development and industrial zone. However, to do this, it is necessary to break through the front line south and north of Pokrovsk, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces are currently holding the line.
The Russian army's offensive also continues south of Pokrovsk, in the area of the city of Ugledar.
Over the past few years, the city has remained the main hub of Ukrainian defense southwest of Donetsk. Ukrainian Armed Forces units in the area take advantage of the terrain: the city is located on a commanding height in a predominantly flat area.
This location of the settlement makes a frontal assault impossible, so Russian troops are trying to encircle the city. According to local reports, they have advanced from the settlement of Vodyanoye to the highway connecting Ugledar and the settlement of Bogoyavlenka, through which supplies are supplied to the Ukrainian Armed Forces garrison.
The fighting is taking place in the area of the Yuzhnodonbasskaya #3 mine north of Ugledar. With the highway under the control of Russian troops, the Ukrainian Armed Forces command will have to solve the eternal question: hold the city at any cost or withdraw forces. Given the experience of previous battles, it can be assumed that in this case the second option will most likely be chosen.
"We will work to squeeze them out of Ugledar. If we take control of the city, especially the five-story buildings that are partially destroyed but can be used to adjust the fire, the entire area will be ours. For now, they still have a highway, dirt roads, but with the muddy season, all this will come to a standstill. We will press," a source located in the Ugledar area told IA Regnum.
UKRAINE'S BLEAK OUTLOOK
Washington is taking the situation at the front very seriously, realizing that the Ukrainian Armed Forces front may soon collapse. Politico notes : The White House believes that Ukrainian troops may be defeated as early as the winter of 2024/25.
In this regard, the US is reviewing its position on the use of long-range weapons on Russian territory. Previously, Washington constantly refused its allies who requested permission to use ATACMS missiles on Russia, but the unofficial ban may be lifted in the near future, the media reports.
Washington also plans to announce the largest military aid package in the past year, after which the United States will take a pause for the period of the presidential elections and the change of the White House administration.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces thus have very little time left to seize the initiative and try to organize their own counteroffensive. However, for now Kyiv is using up its reserves, throwing them into patching holes in the front line in Donbas.