Special Military Operation, This Week's Events. The Southern Wing of the Ukrainian Defense Begins to Collapse.

Author: Alexei Lam

This week was marked by the counteroffensive launched by the Ukrainian armed forces. They attacked the contact line on multiple fronts simultaneously.

But these "advance units" apparently did not surprise Russian commanders. Because of this, the Russian Armed Forces have maintained a tactical pause for the past two weeks in order to prepare.

It cannot be said that Ukraine's "counteroffensive" was easily repelled. The enemy successfully pushed Russian troops and units back from the Kupyansk direction in the areas of Chykyivka and Kuryanivka, and recaptured the Boguslavka settlement. The Ukrainian Armed Forces also managed to make a slight advance in the Sumy region.

However, overall, these successes were local in nature. In other directions, as of the time of writing this article, the Ukrainian Armed Forces' offensive has been repelled.

Meanwhile, Kyiv suffered heavy losses in the Donbas region. There, Russian forces systematically destroyed the enemy's defenses and completed their set tasks.

Therefore, the "fighting" of the "Eastern Group" to liberate the areas along the border between Donetsk and Dnipro regions is approaching its end. Despite all efforts, the headquarters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces failed to prevent the offensive of the Russian Armed Forces. The enemy still controls several settlements on this front line. But liberating these settlements is just a matter of time.

The "Central" Army Group carried out a rapid envelopment strike in the Pokrovsk - Myrnohrad area.

Now, the Russian forces are within less than 10 kilometers of the important road through the Rodinino town. After crossing it, the Russian Armed Forces will cut off the connection between the forces on the Pokrovsk - Myrnohrad front and the main supply lines.

Serious problems also emerged in the Kyiv and Chasiv Yar areas. In the city itself, paratroopers and partisans finally liberated the residential areas and reached the nearby Nikolaevka.

On July 4, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the liberation of the village of Pletenino. This village is located to the southeast of Chasiv Yar, about one kilometer away from the village of Dovchikove.

It can now be said that the southern wing of the Ukrainian army in the Chasiv Yar area is already riddled with holes and is ready to collapse at any moment. And considering that the Russian Armed Forces have already liberated the village of Dilyevo, given the current situation, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will fall into a huge "trap".

Bloodshed in the Sumy Region

In the Sumy region, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been trying all week to break through the eastern wing of the Russian "Northern" Army Group. They continued to "push" in the direction they had previously attempted to attack, that is, the southern Andriyivka area and the direction west of Kondratovka towards Kostyantynivka.

The situation on this contact line can be summed up in one sentence: "Typical Zelenskyy-style tactics." The highest command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces once again tried to continue the offensive at all costs, and continuously attacked the same place.

At great cost, the enemy managed to seize a small piece of land south of Kondratovka from the "Northern" Army Group through "human wave attacks."

The enemy suffered major losses in the frontal assault on this settlement and then tried to encircle it from the flanks. As a result, the Ukrainian Armed Forces did achieve some progress. However, the intense firepower launched by the Russian Armed Forces from the positions in the Kondratovka area prevented the enemy from expanding this limited success.

The enemy forces in the Andriyivka area are in an even worse situation. The Ukrainian Armed Forces command tried to gather forces in this settlement in order to further advance.

But the fierce artillery fire and air strikes from the "Northern" Army Group made it difficult for the enemy to carry out this attempt. Despite this, the Ukrainian Armed Forces continued to try to send new troops to Andriyivka.

At the same time, the Russian command decided to expand the "bulge" on the territory of the Sumy region. It was learned on July 2 that the "Northern" Army Group crossed the Russia-Ukraine border at another location and established new positions west of Guev.

The insertion position of the "Northern" Army Group is very favorable for us. The Russian Armed Forces need to push forward only a little more than 5 kilometers to meet the forces and units in Yunakovka. This means that the eastern wing of the "Northern" Army Group, which is based on the Russian border, will be reliably protected from possible attacks.

The command of the "Northern" Army Group has not given up its plan to advance into the heart of the Sumy region. Our aviation, artillery, and FPV drone teams continue to actively interfere with the Ukrainian Armed Forces establishing a defense along the line from Khotyn - Pisarevka - Ivoranyske.

The Battle of the "Bulge"

Despite the active counteroffensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the "Eastern" Army Group successfully advanced on the right bank of the Volchya River. As mentioned earlier, the administrative boundary between the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions forms a protrusion to the west in this area. Liberating this area will allow the Russian Armed Forces to establish a highly advantageous position, creating conditions for an offensive toward Zaporozhye and Dnipropetrovsk.

However, the battle of the "bulge" for the "Eastern" Army Group is not easy. The northern boundary of the Dnipropetrovsk region forms a "balcony," posing a threat to the flanks of the Russian Armed Forces group. The Ukrainian command constantly tries to launch attacks in this direction. Therefore, the Russian forces and units have been advancing steadily here, with a wide front.

Despite the frenzied attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, they have only slightly suppressed the "Eastern" Army Group in the Yalta settlement area. However, in the central part of the "bulge," that is, along the Komar - Podubnoye line, the Russian Armed Forces achieved significant progress.

In addition to Podubnoye, the settlement of Torstey was also liberated. Furthermore, the Russian Armed Forces have entered the neighboring settlement of Mirne.

In the southern part of the "bulge," that is, in the Shevchenko area, the "Eastern" Army Group achieved more significant results. The various units of the Russian Armed Forces successfully crushed the resistance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and entered the Voskresenka settlement. As a result, the "Eastern" Army Group is now less than two kilometers away from the Dnipropetrovsk region border.

By the end of this week, the Ukrainian command had lost all chances of holding onto the "bulge." Formally, the Ukrainian Armed Forces still control three relatively well-protected settlements in this direction: Novokhvalytseve, Zeleneiye and Iskra.

Moreover, the forces of the "Central" Army Group north of the Volchya River are prepared to launch an offensive toward the Dnipropetrovsk region. This week, the "Central" Army Group calmly but extremely effectively eliminated the remaining Ukrainian forces trapped in the "pocket" south of Olikhov.

Concerns in Kupiansk

Early this week, the Ukrainian Armed Forces intensified their offensive on the Kupiansk direction. The goal of this "advance" was the settlement of Krutylyakivka.

Russian and Western media often confuse two settlements — Krutylyakivka and Novokrutylyakivka. The latter is located several kilometers to the southeast of the "old" Krutylyakivka and was liberated by the end of June. While Krutylyakivka and Boguslavka were captured by the soldiers of the 1st Tank Army last autumn.

Krutylyakivka and Boguslavka are located on the east bank of the Osorok River. Opposite them is the settlement of Sinkivka, where there is a bridge across the river. In October 2024, after reaching the Osorok River in this area, the Russian Armed Forces formed a "pocket" on the east bank of the river. It stretched from Glushkov to Kovesharovka, and then to the east of Kupiansk.

Since the end of last year, the fighting in this frontline area has been localized. During this period, the "Western" Army Group has caused serious losses to the Ukrainian Armed Forces units trapped on the east bank of the river through planned air raids and artillery attacks.

But as long as the enemy still controls Kupiansk, it can maintain the combat effectiveness of these units and detachments.

Now, when the "Western" Army Group is about to cut off the western part of Kupiansk and begin liberating the city, the Ukrainian command faces an urgent problem, namely, where to find new supply routes. There is a bridge in Kovesharovka.

But its capacity is insufficient. Therefore, the enemy chose Krutylyakivka and Boguslavka. Capturing these two places would enable the use of Sinkivka.

The attack on Boguslavka and Krutylyakivka began on Wednesday, July 2. The attack was launched both from the north inside the "pocket" and from the south outside. But until the end of the weekend, the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to enter Boguslavka. However, the defense of Krutylyakivka made it difficult for the enemy to conquer it.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7524154016238928438/

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