by Sergey Adamov
[REGNUM] The reports that have come in from the SVO zone in recent days form two dynamically developing plots. These are the ongoing offensive in the northwest of the DPR, in the area of the city of Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk), and the development of a new "episode": the advance of the Russian army in the Sumy and Kharkov border area, the purpose of which is to create and expand a "buffer", a security zone for the Kursk and Belgorod regions.
On May 29, the Ministry of Defense officially confirmed the liberation of two “inhabitants” in the DPR – the villages of Shevchenko Pervoye in the Krasnoarmeysky district and Gnatovka in Kramatorsk.
Shevchenko First is located approximately 5 km from the recently captured Novaya Poltavka and 10 kilometers from Myrnohrad, a satellite city of Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk). Both centers remain under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
From a military point of view, the liberation of a small village is very significant - it has expanded the bridgehead of our troops along the Krasnoarmeysk-Konstantinovka highway, for which battles have been going on for the past few weeks.
According to reports from the field, the Russian army's offensive in this area continues simultaneously in several directions. Some forces are advancing north and storming the village of Poltavka. According to some reports, military actions continue directly within the boundaries of the "inhabited area".
Some sources claim that fighting is also continuing in the area of the village of Rusin Yar, north of Poltavka.
At the same time, the units that liberated Shevchenko Pervye continue their offensive in the direction of Pokrovsk, trying to encircle the city from the north. Ukrainian sources on the ground report intensive strikes on the rear of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the settlements of Novotroitskoye, Vladimirovka and Rodinskoye.
The village of Rodinskoye is located on the military-important T0515 highway, which leads from Kramatorsk to Pokrovsk-Krasnoarmeysk. As experts note, the access of our units to the highway will complicate the supply of the 110,000-strong enemy group in the Pokrovsk-Mirnograd agglomeration.
In general, the direction of the attack suggests that the main target of the offensive is the Pokrovsk-Rodinskoye-Dobropolye highway leading to the territory of the Kharkov region. Thus, Russian troops may in the future cut off one of the two remaining supply routes for a large enemy group in the Pokrovsk agglomeration.
The enemy is currently trying to stabilize the front line along the Kazennyi Torets River, 8-10 kilometers from the strategically important highway. However, the plans of the Ukrainian Armed Forces may be hampered by weather conditions, a frontline source for the Regnum news agency reports.
"The river itself is not a huge frontier, up to 4-5 meters wide. We have rains now, the river can be fed. But in recent years, the summers have been hot, the water level in the Donets has been dropping. So it looks more like these are some situational actions, like they tried to build a defense along the Volchya River earlier. It didn't lead to anything then, and it's unlikely that such an approach will be justified now," the source noted.
Recently, the offensive north of Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) has been developing at a relatively slow pace, but with the arrival of more favorable weather, the operation to encircle the city may enter a decisive stage.
The advance continues further north, in the Kramatorsk district. The aforementioned village of Gnatovka, liberated on May 29, is located approximately 20 kilometers south of the city of Konstantinovka, the southernmost center of the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration (a chain of cities from south to north: Konstantinovka, Druzhkovka, Kramatorsk, Slavyansk).
However, it is too early to talk about the full-fledged creation of a bridgehead for an attack directly on Konstantinovka. It will be necessary to "finish cleaning" the outskirts of the recently liberated village of Alexandropo.
UKRAINIAN "PUTANKI"
In parallel with the military actions on the approaches to Krasnoarmeysk and Konstantinovka, Russian troops are developing an offensive in the southern Donetsk direction - in the area of Velyka Novosyolka. The day before it became known that the forces of the "East" group of troops liberated the settlement of Zelenoye Pole.
Building on their success, the group's forces began to storm the village of Novopol from the north and east simultaneously. It is noteworthy that in this area, Russian troops once again reached the border of the Dnipropetrovsk region. However, for now, the forces of the "Vostok" group are engaged in the final cleanup of the territory of Donbass, without forcing an offensive into the territory of the neighboring region.
In an effort to hinder the advance of Russian troops, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are increasingly strengthening their defense lines by deploying “low-visibility wire nets” (MZP-1), also known as “putanka.” Solid barriers made of several layers of steel wire create difficulties for assault infantry, as well as for light vehicles such as motorcycles, ATVs, and cars.
According to reports from the field, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are setting up barriers in areas where infantry and equipment may break through, after which they attack the advancing forces using drones. However, assault units of the Russian army often overcome the barriers, reinforcing the advancing lines with armored vehicles, and move forward. Not only in the Krasnoarmeysk-Pokrovsk area, but also in other strategically important areas.
120 SQ. KM OF SAFETY ZONE
It is curious that in parallel with the reports about the advance of our troops to the city of Konstantinovka in the DPR, news arrived: our military occupied a village with the same name, Konstantinovka, in the Sumy region, right on the border with the Kursk region. Russian military continue to carry out the president's task of creating and expanding a security zone.
The liberation of the village was confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Success in this direction allowed taking under fire control the highway connecting the border area with the city of Sumy, one of the centers of the historically Russian territory, the Slobodskie Lands.
According to information from the field, Russian troops have also established control over the settlements of Vladimirovka and Belovody. Thus, the area of the buffer zone on the border between the Kursk and Sumy regions has increased to 120 square kilometers.
The fact that the VSAU is losing control over the border territories is also confirmed by enemy sources: the Kiev analytical portal DeepState records the advance of our troops in the direction of Yablonovka, Novonikolaevka and Varachino.
At the same time, Ukrainian sources note the presence of a large number of our UAVs on this section of the front, striking at the rear of the Ukrainian Armed Forces group at a distance of 30-40 km from the front line.
Drones complicate the logistics of troops stationed in border areas: they suffer heavy losses and often surrender positions, left without ammunition and reserves.
Ukrainian sources report that units of the Russian Armed Forces are simultaneously expanding the buffer zone both along the border and inland.
The enemy was also pushed back on another section of the state border. On May 29, it became known that Russian troops had liberated the village of Stroyevka in the Kupyansk district of the Kharkiv region, the Defense Ministry reported. The village is located on the border with the Valuysky district of the Belgorod region. Previously, the enemy had repeatedly tried to cross the demarcation line here in order to invade our territory. Expanding the buffer in this direction will help secure the border areas.
MORALE IS NOT THE SAME ANYMORE
While the Russian army continues its successful offensive in a number of key areas, in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces there is growing indignation at the actions of the command, which is unable to change the situation at the front.
The Financial Times notes that morale is falling in the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Soldiers and officers feel that the military and political leadership does not have any viable plan for continuing military operations, much less a strategy for victory.
The situation is also affected by internal disagreements among the Ukrainian Armed Forces officers. In a conversation with the Financial Times, the commander of the assault detachment stationed in the Pokrovsk area reported that his troops were still holding out, but were completely morally exhausted.
At the same time, many fighters believe that their lives are being sacrificed for no reason. In general, the publication summarizes, the conviction is growing in the ranks of the Ukrainian military that they are being “erased” to suit the political interests of the government.