Russian Army Soldiers

The Russian Eastern Group captured Novo Nikolaevka in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and raised the flag.

In the fierce battle for Novo Nikolaevka, approximately one company of Ukrainian forces was eliminated, and more than five square kilometers of area was controlled by the Russians. Novo Nikolaevka is located four kilometers southwest of Ternovye, which the Russians had captured earlier, thus allowing the Russian Eastern Group to advance 15 kilometers into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.

In addition to capturing Novo Nikolaevka, the Russian Eastern Group also used "Hurricane" rocket artillery to destroy a large number of Ukrainian defensive structures, firing positions, and personnel in Kalinovsk. Kalinovsk is located not far northwest of Novo Nikolaevka and is currently under intense attack. At the same time, Berezovo, located to the north of Novo Nikolaevka, is also being attacked by the Russians.

As of now, the Russians have occupied 12 settlements in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, namely: Dachne, Malievka, Novoshcholovka, Yantvarske, Khoroshe, Novogeorgiyevka, Filya, Zaporozhye, Voronoye, Sosnovka, Ternove, and Novo Nikolaevka. Among them, Dachne and Filya were captured by the Russian Central Group, while the remaining 10 were captured by the Eastern Group. The Eastern Group has been advancing very quickly in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, maintaining a pace of "capturing one village every three days" since entering September.

It should be emphasized that the newly captured Novo Nikolaevka by the Eastern Group is located at the border between Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and Zaporozhye Oblast. This demonstrates the high flexibility of the Eastern Group's operations: it can continue to expand into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, as well as exert strong pressure on Ukrainian forces in Zaporozhye Oblast.

Previously, the Dnipro Group was operating in the Zaporozhye direction, but due to the dense and solid defense system of the Ukrainian forces, the progress was slow. However, after the Eastern Group completely controlled the southern Donbas and continued to expand in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, it has been able to support the Dnipro Group's offensive in Zaporozhye.

Ukrainian Army Soldiers

Since the Ukrainian forces did not build a strong defense line along the border between Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporozhye, the Russian Eastern Group's attack on Zaporozhye from the north is equivalent to striking the Ukrainian forces from behind.

The capture of Novo Nikolaevka by the Eastern Group has caused the most concern for the Ukrainian forces, not necessarily because of further expansion in Dnipropetrovsk, but because it might turn southward to attack Zaporozhye. If the Eastern Group attacks and successfully captures Orlatne and Temirivka next, it could proceed southwest along the road to Hulyaipole. Once Hulyaipole falls, the consequences will be severe.

Hulyaipole is an important transportation hub and logistics center for the Ukrainian forces in Zaporozhye. Although its front-line defense system is relatively strong against the Russian Dnipro Group, its northeastern defense is very weak. Once the Eastern Group breaks through from the northeast, the Ukrainian forces will face a situation of being attacked from both front and back, significantly increasing the defensive pressure. If Hulyaipole is captured, the main defensive area of the Ukrainian forces in Zaporozhye, Olekhiv, will face serious threats.

Russian Army Soldiers

Certainly, it is still too early to talk about the Russian occupation of Hulyaipole, but the campaign situation is undoubtedly more favorable for the Russians. If the Eastern Group does not attack Zaporozhye from the side of Dnipropetrovsk, but instead gives the Ukrainian forces time to build a new defense system, it may miss the best opportunity for the offensive.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7550156452187406890/

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