The situation at the front: the Russian army captured two Ukrainian fortresses within a week...

^{National Guard of Ukraine / AFP / Scanpix / LETA}
In a week, Russian troops have captured two important strongholds of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Donetsk region, Velyka Novosilka and Toretsk (the latter city is still under attack on its eastern and western outskirts). The third stronghold is also on the verge of falling. Russian forces have captured the northern and southern parts of Chasiv Yar, which could lead to the collapse of Ukrainian positions in the ruins of high-rise buildings in the city center. In the Kupyansk sector of the front in the Kharkiv region, Russian troops have expanded their bridgehead on the western bank of the Oskol River and are now trying to connect it with Russian territory in order to establish supplies and begin an advance on Kupyansk itself.

Velika Novosilka and Kurakhovo

The Russian army has captured Velika Novosilka, a district center in southern Donbass. The main part of the Ukrainian garrison in the village, although almost surrounded, managed to retreat north of the Mokriye Yali River. It is likely that several hundred fighters of the 110th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces remained in Velika Novosilka until the end. In early 2024, units of this brigade were surrounded in Avdiivka and suffered heavy losses.

Now, judging by the latest offensives, the Russian troops in this area will focus all their attention on eliminating the positions of the Ukrainian armed forces west of Kurakhovo. Here, units of the Russian armed forces from the north have entered the village of Andreyevka near the Donetsk-Zaporizhzhya highway, which is the only remaining route for the Ukrainian units to retreat. Another group is approaching this road from the south. Most likely, the Ukrainian armed forces will be forced to leave the Kurakhovo area and move west.

Even then, the Ukrainian Kurakhovo group will not be free from the threat of encirclement: soon, Russian troops from Velyka Novosilka, further west (in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe village of Bogatyr, will also reach the Donetsk-Zaporizhzhya highway.

Pokrovsk

The Russian armed forces continue their advance west of Pokrovsk, a large city in the center of Donbass (with a population of about 150,000 before the war, including the surrounding area).

The Russian army has taken control of a large part of the industrial zone west of Pokrovsk. It has captured Kotlin and neighboring mines, as well as part of the village of Udachnoye. Further north of Udachnoye is the largest coking coal mine in Ukraine, which produces two-thirds of the coal needed for the country's metallurgical industry.

The next target for the Russian army is the Pokrovsk-Dnipro highway, which connects the city with the central part of the country. The advanced units of the Russian armed forces are five kilometers from the highway.

Toretsk and Chasiv Yar

The city of Toretsk (along its administrative borders) is almost completely occupied by Russian troops. The Russian armed forces have captured the buildings of one of the mines of the Dzerzhinsk coal company in the north of the city. From here, a road opens to Konstantinovka. Only one more mine remains on this road.

The Russian armed forces have captured part of Krymsky, which is considered the western outskirts of Toretsk. Fighting is ongoing here in the area of ​​the Toretskaya mine.

To the east of the city, the Russian army has significantly expanded its control over another satellite of Toretsk, the settlement of Shcherbinovka.

Thus, the months-long battles for Toretsk are ending with the victory of the Russian armed forces, despite the fierce resistance of the Ukrainians. Now the Russian army is trying to advance in the direction of the Kleban-Bik reservoir and Konstantinovka. Forces released from the battles for Chasiv Yar may soon arrive in this area.

Having occupied the north of Chasiv Yar, the Russian armed forces have also begun to advance in its southern part - in the Shevchenko microdistrict and the village of Stupochki. Soon the city center (or rather, the ruins of its high-rise buildings) may be surrounded on three sides, which will maximally complicate the defense of the remaining Ukrainian forces in the city.

Kupyansk

The Russian army has expanded its bridgehead west of the Oskol River, north of Kupyansk. This was made possible by the weakening of the Ukrainian armed forces' defenses: only one brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces' territorial defense forces is resisting the Russian armed forces in this area.

The Russian armed forces have captured a large part of the Dvurechnaya settlement on the western bank, as well as part of the Novomlinsk village and the surrounding hills.

A smaller bridgehead in the village of Zapadnoye, located closer to Kupyansk, has also been expanded.

It is likely that the Russian command will try to connect the bridgeheads with Russian territory: the distance from Novomlinsk to the border is 12 kilometers. This bridgehead is also needed to transport heavy equipment and artillery "overland". It is almost impossible to deliver equipment to large units on the bridgehead via pontoon crossings across the flooded river: the Ukrainian armed forces regularly launch strikes along the pontoon crossings - including with HIMARS rocket launchers. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”