by Sergey Adamov
[REGNUM] While Russia and Ukraine are discussing a possible ceasefire with the United States and preparing for direct peace talks, fighting continues in the SVO zone.
In the Kursk region, the Russian Armed Forces continue to clear the region of enemy forces. After the liberation of the city of Sudzha on March 13, the operation entered its final stage.
After the defeat in the Kursk direction and the retreat from the Sudzha area, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying to destabilize the situation again in several areas of the Russian-Ukrainian border. Over the past few days, the enemy has made several attempts to break through with infantry groups into the territory of the Krasnoyarsk and Rakityansky districts of the Belgorod region.


CLASHES ON THE BORDER

The fighting continues in the area of ​​the settlements of Grafovka and Demidovka, located in close proximity to the border. A number of Ukrainian sources have reported several times about the capture of one or both settlements, but in fact the Ukrainian Armed Forces have not managed to achieve any significant success. 


According to information from the field, by the morning of March 23, Ukrainian troops were able to occupy a small bridgehead south of Demidovka and attempted to take the settlement by storm. The situation is complicated by constant shelling of the settlement from Ukrainian territory, as a result of which most of the buildings were completely or partially destroyed.


By March 24, Russian troops managed to push the enemy back from the Demidovka area, after which the Ukrainian Armed Forces retreated to the territory of Sumy Oblast. Combat operations in this area continue. 


In the Grafovka area, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are actively using drones to adjust artillery and remotely mine roads, trying to make it difficult to supply the Russian group. Sources report that separate enemy formations remain in the border zone, which may be involved in new provocations.


South of Grafovka, clashes continue in the area of ​​the settlement of Prilesye. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are using small sabotage groups that enter Russian territory and, having encountered resistance, retreat.
At the same time, the enemy is experiencing serious supply problems, since there are no major highways in the area, and the few country and dirt roads are under constant fire from Russian artillery and drones.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are also not leaving their positions in the Kursk region, holding a small bridgehead in the area of ​​Oleshnya, Guevo and the village of Gornal. Russian troops continue to push the enemy out of their positions. Combat operations are taking place in the area of ​​the Sudzha checkpoint on the border with the Sumy region. 


The scattered formations of Ukrainian troops were thus cut off from the border and surrounded in the area of ​​the village of Gogolevka. 


Nevertheless, despite the lack of prospects for any offensive in the border area, Kyiv retains some of its forces in the border area. In this way, the Ukrainian Armed Forces command is trying to prevent the transfer of Russian troops from the border area to another section of the front, for example, to Donbass or to the Kupyansk area.


At the same time, the majority of forces located in the Sudzha area were either withdrawn for rotation to the rear, or transferred to the Donbass - to the Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk) area.


THE LIBERATION OF DONBASS CONTINUES


In the Kurakhovsky direction, the Russian Armed Forces continue to build on the successes achieved after the liberation of the strategically important settlement of Constantinople. The loss of control over the settlement led to a disruption of communications between the Ukrainian Armed Forces units in this section of the front.
According to information from the field, during the offensive, assault units of the Russian army liberated the settlement of Sribnoye. The information from field sources was later confirmed by the Russian Defense Ministry.
"As a result of active and decisive actions by units of the "Center" group of forces, the settlement of Sribnoye of the Donetsk People's Republic has been liberated, " the department noted. The offensive of Russian troops continues to the north - in the area of ​​the settlements of Uspenovka and Udachnoye. The latter section of the front is strategically important, since Udachnoye is located on the highway connecting Pokrovsk with the territory of the Dnepropetrovsk region.


Over the past months, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have tried several times to push Russian troops back from the highway in order to restore full supplies to Pokrovsk. However, all attempts to advance were repelled, after which the Russian Armed Forces launched a counterattack. According to the latest information, military actions continue on the eastern outskirts of Udachny.
In the long term, success in this direction may allow the final stage of the operation to encircle Pokrovsk to begin, front-line sources at Regnum News Agency note.
"Our area may come to life in the near future, since the weather has become favorable. Once the ground dries out, we can expect an intensification of military operations. The key task now is to expand the bridgehead west of Pokrovsk, near Kotlino and Udachny. Then there will be an opportunity to break through to the north, to the E50 highway, which connects Pokrovsk with Pavlovsk and Dnepropetrovsk," the source told the publication.
According to sources, the Ukrainian Armed Forces command is aware of the gravity of the situation in Pokrovsk, and is therefore transferring units withdrawn from the Kursk region to this area. 



"For both us and them, control over large populated areas, any built-up area in general, and especially over heights, is of key importance. They understood this and held the front line firmly, and did not withdraw some troops from this direction. Now we have begun to put pressure on them, and military actions are continuing in Malye Shcherbaki and Lobkovo," the agency's interlocutor noted.
Ukrainian sources, in turn, believe that the intensification of military operations in the Zaporizhzhya direction could become a prologue to a full-scale offensive. There are several scenarios for the further development of events. The Ukrainian Armed Forces Command expects an offensive on the city of Orekhov in the near future - the only large settlement in the predominantly flat theater of military operations.
Kyiv also does not rule out that the Russian army will move along the Dnieper to Kamenki and Stepnogorsk.
Successful advancement in one or both directions creates prospects for a further offensive on Zaporizhia. At the same time, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are preparing defensive fortifications on the approaches to the city along the Konka River. At this line, Kyiv will try to stop the Russian offensive if Stepnogorsk, Orekhov and Kamenskoye are abandoned.
However, for now, military operations in this direction are local in nature.
Overall, the Russian Armed Forces continue their successful offensive in all directions, pushing back the enemy. The Ukrainian army, in turn, is no longer seeking to seize the initiative, launching counterattacks with small forces only in certain sections of the front.
After the defeat in the Kursk direction and the retreat from the Sudzha area, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying to destabilize the situation again in several areas of the Russian-Ukrainian border. Over the past few days, the enemy has made several attempts to break through with infantry groups into the territory of the Krasnoyarsk and Rakityansky districts of the Belgorod region.






DIRECTION - TO ZAPOROZHYE 


After a long pause, military actions also resumed in the Zaporizhia direction. After the liberation of the settlement of Stepovoe, Russian troops began an assault on the village of Lobkovoe. North of Stepovoe, military actions are taking place on the streets of the settlements of Shcherbaki and Malye Shcherbaki.
In the Stepnogorsk direction, Russian troops advanced in the area of ​​the settlement of Kamenskoye, dislodging the enemy from a number of fortified positions they occupied. According to sources of the Regnum news agency, the offensive in the Stepovoye and Kamenskoye area became possible after the Ukrainian Armed Forces seriously weakened this section of the front in favor of the Kursk direction and Donbass.

"For both us and them, control over large populated areas, any built-up area in general, and especially over heights, is of key importance. They understood this and held the front line firmly, and did not withdraw some troops from this direction. Now we have begun to put pressure on them, and military actions are continuing in Malye Shcherbaki and Lobkovo," the agency's interlocutor noted.
Ukrainian sources, in turn, believe that the intensification of military operations in the Zaporizhzhya direction could become a prologue to a full-scale offensive. There are several scenarios for the further development of events. The Ukrainian Armed Forces Command expects an offensive on the city of Orekhov in the near future - the only large settlement in the predominantly flat theater of military operations.
Kyiv also does not rule out that the Russian army will move along the Dnieper to Kamenki and Stepnogorsk.
Successful advancement in one or both directions creates prospects for a further offensive on Zaporizhia. At the same time, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are preparing defensive fortifications on the approaches to the city along the Konka River. At this line, Kyiv will try to stop the Russian offensive if Stepnogorsk, Orekhov and Kamenskoye are abandoned.
However, for now, military operations in this direction are local in nature.
Overall, the Russian Armed Forces continue their successful offensive in all directions, pushing back the enemy. The Ukrainian army, in turn, is no longer seeking to seize the initiative, launching counterattacks with small forces only in certain sections of the front.