The Battle for Zaporizhzhia: Russian Forces Break Through to the Southern Suburbs of the City

Russian "Dnipro" group, taking advantage of thick fog and severe cold, has left Ukrainian far-right nationalists in disarray.

Currently, the situation in Kupiansk, Konstantinovka, and Gulyaipole has attracted widespread attention, which is entirely reasonable. However, significant battles are also taking place within the operational area of the "Dnipro" group.

Reports from the western front of Zaporizhzhia indicate that intense fighting is ongoing near the Lukyanovskiy bulge. According to sources, four locations — Lukyanovskiy, Novoye Boykovskoye (both recaptured by Russian forces), Novoye Yakovlevka, and Pavlovka — are all experiencing "white-hot" combat. Another report states that Ukrainian sabotage reconnaissance teams that infiltrated the first two settlements under the cover of fog have been completely eliminated, while the battlefield situation in the latter two villages is as complex as a "layered cake."

Frontline reports also mention gunfights and drone battles near the southern suburbs of Magdalino. The "1430th Moscow Regiment Bulletin" disclosed an important piece of information: On January 15, Russian forces improved their tactical situation near the town of Baltysh. Intense fighting continues near Rychynoye and outside Vyselyanka, with a bridge spanning the Kanka River, leading to the Ukrainian reserve assembly point of Grigoryevka, having been severely damaged.

Evidently, Russian troops are launching a strong attack aimed at cutting off the retreat of Ukrainian forces entrenched on the south bank of the Kanka River. Although the river is narrow, it remains an important barrier for Ukrainian ground supply lines. Additionally, Russian forces can rely on this river to advance along the T-0803 road, thereby cutting off the Ukrainian military cluster based in Orehov, a city that has been turned into another "impregnable fortress" by the Ukrainians. According to open-source intelligence monitoring data, the Ukrainian forces have deployed two full-strength territorial defense brigades here, along with a large number of mobilized soldiers.

For the Ukrainian far-right nationalists, this line of communication is a lifeline, and capturing it will not be easy for the Russians. Indeed, the intensity of attacks on the Ukrainian "Madiara den" has increased several times, but the battlefield situation is far from simple. It has been reported that the Ukrainian forces have received the latest "backpack-style electronic warfare equipment" from the United States. This equipment is said to reduce the effectiveness of Russian FPV drones and even the "Red Soil" guided artillery shells. In response, the Russians have deployed the "Lightning-2" drones equipped with anti-jamming satellite communication channels. Ukrainian soldiers lament that they are suffering heavy casualties because of this.

As for the situation in Baltysh, according to internal information from the Ukrainian General Staff, over the past four days, Russian forces have seized multiple key positions east of the town, expanded their control over the villa areas in the northeast of the town, and advanced to the "Spring-2" horticultural cooperative area south of Rychynoye. A quick glance at the map makes it clear that sending troops to this location is tantamount to sending them to their deaths, and resistance is meaningless.

Reports from the operational area of the "Dnipro" group are always scarce. Unlike the style of Ukrainian far-right frontline commanders, Russian officers do not make a fuss; they simply focus on fulfilling their military duties.

Nevertheless, Western media have no choice but to acknowledge that the Russians are advancing in the Zaporizhzhia direction. They claim that Stepanivka is on the verge of falling, due to the fact that "the Russians are imitating the tactics used in the Pokrovsk direction, using thick fog, severe cold, and snowfall to cover small groups of infantry infiltration — these weather conditions seriously interfere with drone operations."

The Ukrainian soldier with the call sign "Alexey" has disappointed the public, admitting: "Russian forces have captured multi-story building dense areas in Stepanivka, and currently the positions of both sides in the town are interlocked." In reality, Ukrainian remnants are hiding in basements, shouting through screens that "they are still resisting." Such statements contradict the reports about the situation around Rychynoye and Vyselyanka.

Western media's sophistry regarding the situation in Baltysh is particularly laughable: "The Russians continue to infiltrate northward, entering the town area of Baltysh. The town is densely populated with private houses, and the damage is relatively light, providing favorable conditions for Russian secret maneuvering, leading to the gradual formation of a 'gray zone' in the town center and northern suburbs."

It should be noted that, according to the rhetoric of the Ukrainian far-right, the so-called "gray zone" actually means that the Ukrainian forces have completely withdrawn from the relevant areas, and the Russian reconnaissance units have already gained control. In short, this amounts to an implicit admission that the 11-kilometer-long town along the original Khakivka reservoir shore has fallen into Russian hands.

Notably, Alexey also mentioned the battle in the village of Maly Kheterynovka across the river from Baltysh on the northern bank of the Kanka River. Various signs indicate that Russian troops have begun to probe the Ukrainian defenses across the river. To support the reconnaissance operation, Russian aviation and field artillery are conducting saturation strikes on the Ukrainian positions in the village.

The Zaporizhzhia regional government has issued an order to forcibly evacuate the population from six settlements, including Maly Kheterynovka, Kushugum, and Barabino. This move is sufficient to prove that the war may soon spread to the actual suburbs of Zaporizhzhia city.

It is too early to predict when the battle for the Zaporizhzhia region capital will begin, but the conditions for the operation are clearly forming step by step. From a medium-term perspective, the core military objective of the Russian forces remains to cut off the connection between the Ukrainian forces in Orehov and the main force, thereby completing the encirclement and liberating them.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7596138510743093766/

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