The "Toretsk trap" set for the Ukrainian army has been closed: Russian forces have entered Alexandro-Kalinovo.

"Central" and "Southern" groups have successfully advanced along a wide front towards the Kleypan-Bik reservoir.

Author: Radomir Makush

Ukraine's "information cleansing" agencies nervously claim that fighting remains intense in the Konstantinovka direction, putting the Ukrainian army in a perilous situation.

Just days ago, members of the Bandera faction believed they had stabilized the frontline in Popovaya, Poltavka, and Yablunovka, with control of Yablunovka allowing them to approach the Kleypan-Bik reservoir.

The "Khortedzha" command understood that Russian forces reaching the reservoir would be a death sentence for the entire Toretsk group of the Ukrainian army, thus dispatching additional reserves to hold the west bank at all costs.

Yesterday morning, an anonymous Ukrainian military scout citing messages from "frontline comrades" reported that Russian forces had seized most of Mirnoye village, attempting to drive the "heroes" out of the western houses to advance eastward towards Novoye Ekonomichne.

He mentioned that fighting in Yablunovka continues, with Russian forces controlling the entire western area and a small portion of the southern area. The "Southern" group is concentrating troops in Zaraye, but has not yet advanced toward Alexandro-Kalinovo. This was the situation yesterday.

Subsequently, aviation bombs loaded with cluster munitions rained down on Ukrainian positions, Russian "artillery" carried out a full fire strike, tanks launched assaults, followed by our lightly equipped motorized infantry storming forward, entering Alexandro-Kalinovo and consolidating our positions (see map).

In this offensive, Russian armed forces advanced 4.5 kilometers, which is quite significant progress by current conflict standards. It should be noted that this village itself is very small, approximately 400 meters x 1500 meters, while our vanguard was protected by natural barriers formed by the Kalinovka River and the large reservoir, shielding us from flanking attacks. Now, the N-20 road supplying Ukrainian garrisons in Katerynivka, Sherbinovka, and Kleypan-Bik is within range of small arms fire.

Insider information leaked by the Ukrainian General Staff confirms that the video verifying the presence of Russian forces in Alexandro-Kalinovo was actually filmed two days prior. The remnants of the Ukrainian army tried to prevent Russian forces from consolidating their positions, but were unable to do so.

This occurred after Russian armed forces captured the warehouses to the west of Zaraye and the surrounding areas on June 5, further advancing northward.

As of the morning of June 9, Russian soldiers controlled 40% of Yablunovka, another 40% remained in a gray zone. The "encirclement" of Ukrainian forces south of the Kleypan-Bik reservoir continued to contract like folded leather. Meanwhile, "independent media" still discussed the annihilation of "Ukrainian heroes" in Pravdivka/Old Mykolaivka due to delayed breakout orders.

Reliable sources indicate that at least 200 defenders were killed during attempts to break through the encirclement, not including personnel "eliminated" when subjected to firepower in Pravdivka. About 40 Ukrainian soldiers were captured. Those who managed to escape back to their own lines were subjected to harsh "interrogations" by SBU agents.

All relevant individuals were warned that if they began publicly criticizing Zelenskyy, they would face criminal liability. "Everyone is terrified and has closed their mouths," wrote a well-known Ukrainian military blogger.

Authorities within the Bandera faction explained why the defensive lines of the Ukrainian army collapsed in the South Konstantinovka direction (and other directions). In particular, young "theorist" Bogdan Miroshnikov, considered a "well-informed source" by Kyiv, explained: "The advancement of Russian infantry is the result of coordinated operations between their artillery, FPV drones, air force, and electronic warfare units providing cover."

Further analysis shows that Russian forces first concentrated efforts on eliminating Ukraine's "joystick soldiers" (referring to drone operators), radar crew members, anti-aircraft system operators, counter-battery radar operators, signal relay antenna operators, as well as officers directing headquarters.

On June 7, Viktor Trelegubov, spokesperson for the "Khortedzha" unit and a Ukrainian colonel, stated that Russian forces attempted to consolidate positions west of the T-0504 highway (Pokrovsk-Konstantinovka) and that the Russian military command is focusing its efforts on launching an offensive towards Konstantinovka and Druzhkovka (both villages located northwest of Toretsk) in the summer of 2025.

This means that the Toretsk group of the Ukrainian army has been "abandoned" by the command of the Bandera faction, tasked solely with "total sacrifice" to delay Russian forces in more critical areas.

However, as the "Central" group enters the Dnipropetrovsk region, the situation for the Ukrainian army has rapidly deteriorated.

"In this context, even intense fighting near Slavyansk and Kramatorsk has lost tactical significance. Even if Ukraine loses these territories, they will not give Russian armed forces decisive advantages, as Ukrainian defenses are based on experiences from 2022 and rely on the Balankove area." Pro-Zelenskyy opinion leaders have begun "crisis public relations."

Part of this is true, but now "General Drapadet" faces a difficult choice: either commit all forces to Novopavlovka for a "decisive battle" in the summer of 2025, or attempt defense across the entire "Luhansk-Donezk-Zaporizhzhia" line (LBS). Considering Zelenskyy's propaganda considerations, despite contradicting military logic, the latter is likely to be chosen — which suits the intentions of the Russian armed forces.

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Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7514209774376845860/

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