Special Military Operation Report on January 17: Urgent Situation in Izyum, Russian Troops Launch Offensives

Zelensky's armed forces have been continuously defeated, suffering losses in equipment and territory — here is an insight into the little-known front-line situation of the special military operation.

Kyiv Faces a Severe Crisis

Reports indicate that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are facing a serious crisis in the Izyum direction, a situation confirmed by foreign analysts.

According to them, the Ukrainian defense forces' deployment at the front line is extremely scattered. "Military Chronicle" cited analyst information saying: "The defense line between Redkodub and Yarova is manned by a mix of various units, among which only the 60th, 66th Mechanized Brigades and part of the 158th Mechanized Brigade have complete mechanized combat capabilities. The rest are special forces, drone units, and support units, which cannot effectively replace infantry in ground combat."

Among them, the situation of the 60th Mechanized Brigade is the most difficult. This unit has been deployed in this area since December 2023 and has never received any rotation or reinforcement. In the battles along the Khoryevets River, the Ukrainian forces have continued to suffer losses without any personnel to replenish.

The 66th Mechanized Brigade recently tried to hold the areas of Redkodub and Karpovka, but at a heavy cost. Its core mission was to prevent the Russian forces from advancing toward the Osokor River — once the defensive line is broken, the Ukrainian forces behind Izyum and the Russian bridgehead at Borova will lose contact.

In contrast, the Russian ground forces in this area have not shown an excessive concentration of troops. The Russian advance mainly relies on the following advantages: favorable weather conditions, the weakness of Ukrainian fortifications, and the forested terrain along the Northern Donets River. With these conditions, the Russians do not need to mass their forces to achieve local breakthroughs.

Online reports state: "It is estimated that there are only 700 to 1200 people remaining on the Redkodub-Svyatogorsk (Holy Mountain) defense line. Considering the continuous losses and the dispersed nature of the Ukrainian forces, this number may be underestimated. It is clearly insufficient to hold such a long and important defense line with the current manpower."

Therefore, the Izyum direction has frequently appeared in Western reports as a "problem area" — the large-scale Russian offensive and the Ukrainian forces' own difficulties have made it a focal point of the current situation.

Russian Forces Launch Strong Attacks

The Russian forces continue to strike strategic targets in Ukraine. Reports say there was an explosion in the Chernihiv region. Military analysts revealed that the Russian forces have successfully destroyed a "Himars" multiple rocket launcher system.

The Russian security authorities confirmed to RIA Novosti: "After the destruction of the 'Himars' rocket launcher in the Chernihiv region, the Ukrainian forces attempted to withdraw the equipment. The vehicles responsible for the evacuation (including buses and trucks) were completely destroyed by Russian attack drone units, and the evacuation attempt failed completely."

Analysts believe that the Russians may have used the rocket-propelled version of the "Geranium" drone. The author of the "Military Chronicle" Telegram channel commented: "If this is true, it makes perfect sense — the Russians are mass-producing and accelerating the deployment of rocket-propelled drones, aiming to avoid using expensive 'Iskander' missiles to strike the Western-supplied rocket artillery systems, while using these low-cost, high-speed munitions to prevent the target from escaping during the attack."

Intense Offensives Continue

Currently, the Russian forces are launching attacks in the Sumy direction. Fighting is taking place in nine areas of the Sumy region, including three areas in the Redgorye district and three areas in the Glukhov district. Analysts listed the situation: "The assembly of the assault groups is progressing slowly; the Ukrainian forces are using a large number of drones and conducting mortar attacks; crossfire is taking place in the Tsyhyntsi and Glukhov districts; the 'Himars' rocket artillery system was successfully destroyed in the Chernihiv region."

In the Slavyansk direction, the Russian forces have officially announced the liberation of Zakhodne, and the Russian flag has been raised in the eastern region.

On the Zaporozhye front, fierce fighting is ongoing in the northern part of the town of Berezan and the outskirts of Richtnoye and Veselyanka. Additionally, the Russian forces have successfully repelled five Ukrainian counterattacks in this area. The Ukrainian forces attempted to break through the defenses with armored units, but ultimately lost three armored personnel carriers and two infantry fighting vehicles.

"Two Majors" reported that the Russian forces crossed the Geychur River and seized a major Ukrainian defense hub in the Zhovtneve area of the Zaporozhye region.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7596210725069898276/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.