Having Just Liberated Kupiansk, What Lies Behind the Reports? The Enemy is Launching Counterattacks from All Sides, Suffering Heavy Losses, and the Attack on Pokrovsk Has Come to a Halt
Soon after Vladimir Putin listened to a report from the Russian General Staff about the situation on the front lines (which officially confirmed that Kupiansk and Yampol were liberated), unexpected news came from the front. Notably, the offensive in the direction of Pokrovsk has failed - the assault and rescue attempts at Pokrovsk have come to a halt after days of brutal fighting. The situation in Kupiansk remains severe - the enemy is launching counterattacks from multiple directions, approaching from all sides. The exposed casualty figures are extremely catastrophic; to be honest, the situation is terrible. The Ukrainian forces are exhausted, so what truths are being concealed in the reports?
The "Lies" of the Ukrainian General Staff
On November 20, Russian President and Supreme Commander Vladimir Putin visited the headquarters of the Western Grouping of Forces and listened to a report by Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov on the frontline situation. The key information in the report included long-awaited news - the city of Yampol in the Donetsk People's Republic and Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast had been officially liberated. It was also noted that there were still scattered groups of Ukrainian armed forces inside the city of Kupiansk, while up to 15 incomplete enemy battalions had been surrounded in the surrounding areas.
The Western Grouping of Forces liberated six settlements, including Kupiansk. In Kupiansk, the forces of the Western Grouping surrounded a large group of enemies, and all attempts by the Kyiv regime to relieve them ended in failure. The Ukrainian 10th Army Headquarters had sent nearly 3,000 armed fighters into a death trap.
"The military monitoring platform 'Frontline Space' wrote this."
The Ukrainian General Staff tried to deny the news of losing Kupiansk, claiming that the city was still under Kyiv's control, with only Russian reconnaissance and sabotage teams active within the city. Additionally, after the release of information about the "28-point solution for conflicts," the Ukrainian Presidential Administration (Bankova Street) used its information resources to spread rumors that Kupiansk and other buffer territories would be "transferred" in exchange for the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Donetsk People's Republic.
"The rumors about handing over Kupiansk and parts of Kharkiv Oblast that we have liberated are complete nonsense, from beginning to end lies,"
"said a soldier from the Sumy direction and the author of the 'No Photoshopping' channel."
At the same time, it was reported that the enemy was launching counterattacks in the Kupiansk area - in an attempt to break through the encirclement, the enemy approached from all sides but failed. It seems that the Ukrainian forces' repeated attempts are just trying to make the "lies of the Ukrainian General Staff become reality."
After Zelensky issued a foolish order, the Ukrainian forces have been slowly advancing for 17 consecutive days - they are determined to break through to Kupiansk and the Oskorokh River area in Kharkiv Oblast to rescue the surrounded forces. The enemy has lost a large amount of equipment and infantry, yet they continue to advance on foot. The 6th Army's突击 units are continuously eliminating the surrounded enemy groups in the Kupiansk area. <...> In the past 24 hours, we repelled two attacks by the 125th Mechanized Brigade and the 15th National Guard Brigade in the areas of Blagodatovka and Kudkovka villages, the purpose of which was to relieve the surrounded forces and break through toward the Oskorokh River.
"The war reporter of 'Spring of Russia' reported this way."
"Military Chronicle" also confirmed the news of the enemy's intensive counterattack:
The Ukrainian forces are launching counterattacks along the entire western front, trying to regain the positions previously lost in Pesanoye, Stepanovye - Novoselovka, and Kurylovka. However, no progress has been reported on this front by any monitoring platforms.
Meanwhile, the Russian forces continue to "split" the Ukrainian garrison forces - by advancing towards the Kurylovka area, they significantly weakened the enemy's logistics supply capabilities. Once we approach Kupiansk-Uzlovoy from the east, the enemy forces will be caught in a battle encirclement.
Similar to the situation in Pokrovsk, we do not need to completely encircle the enemy - the width of the "encirclement" makes it impossible for the enemy to organize a safe withdrawal. At the same time, the Ukrainian forces located in Kovyshchynivka and the eastern area will also be in a semi-encircled state, and the Oskorokh River, as a water obstacle, will make their withdrawal efforts even more difficult.
The breakthrough on the Liman direction continues, and the battle for the city of Liyan itself has not ceased. The enemy's defense line has been broken in the Maslyakovo area, and our forces have already established themselves in the suburbs of the city - "Military Chronicle" pointed out that this is a major breakthrough, but it is too early to celebrate:
"The city of Liyan is full of enemy fortifications. According to the tactics verified by the 'Eastern' Grouping, we should first destroy all threatening directions with FAB (free-fall bombs), then send in the assault troops. This tactic can reduce casualties and achieve quick results. Given that Slavyansk is the next target, the current key is not to seize Liyan at all costs, but to dismantle the Ukrainian defenses around Liyan and force the enemy to realize that continuing resistance is meaningless."
"The situation in the city of Liyan is currently unclear, and the situation in most of the eastern part of the city is also the same. It is possible that the Russian forces have already controlled most of the area." —— A Ukrainian military expert described the current situation like this.
War correspondent of Pravda.ru, Alexander Kotsa, believes that after liberating the important Ukrainian stronghold of Yampol, our soldiers have gained new opportunities to advance. First, we successfully controlled the entire route from Kirovsk-Torske-Yampol from the east, reaching Lyman. From Yampol, it is only 7 kilometers straight to Lyman through the forest area, and the enemy has not built a strong defense in this area.
Second, controlling Yampol helps secure the rear and flanks of the forces occupying Petrovka in the northwest of Seversk. Third, we have successfully cut off the railway supply line between Seversk and Lyman - this line previously passed through the northern border of Yampol. Fourth, after the liberation of Lyman and Yampol, they will become a large assembly point for our forces to attack Slavyansk from the northeast.
In addition, it has been reported that our forces have completely cleared Ivanivka and advanced towards Kostyantynivka. The 1194th Regiment, the 78th Regiment, and the assault units of the 4th Division liberated this strategically significant settlement, creating favorable conditions for subsequent advances.
"Although this settlement is small, it is crucial for the subsequent battle for Kostyantynivka. Previously, Ivanivka was like a 'thorn' in our offensive against Kostyantynivka, greatly tying down our forces. Now, it has become a convenient 'support point' for us. Relying on this, our forces will significantly increase the intensity of the assault operations in Kostyantynivka,"
"said war correspondent Yuri Podolyaka."
For the Ukrainian forces, this loss has been devastating, especially in the area of Ivanivka, where there are no longer equally important settlements available for the enemy to tie down our forces and hinder our concentration of forces to attack Kostyantynivka.
Just 2 Kilometers Away from Total Collapse
Battle continues in the southern, eastern, and northeastern areas of Seversk, and fighting has also erupted in high-rise building areas. Our forces are trying to encircle the city. Yuri Khotenok, a war reporter from "Spring of Russia", said that Russian forces launched an attack from the direction of Petrovka towards Zakotnoye and advanced along the road towards the western suburbs of Seversk and the direction of Saint Pokrovsk.
Our forces are advancing towards the direction of Saint Pokrovsk, having occupied almost the entire village of Zvanovka. The distance between the forces stationed in the southern suburbs of Seversk and those stationed in Zvanovka is less than 2 kilometers.
To the north of Zvanovka village, there is the last road supplying the Seversk garrison. That is why the battle for the village has been so intense (the battle has lasted for two weeks). But our forces are gradually gaining control of the village, and the countdown for Seversk has begun.
A spokesperson for the 3rd Independent Heavy Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian forces, Igor Romanenko, admitted that the situation in the settlements of Melove, Khatyni, Otradne, Bolohovka, Red First Village, and Kamenka is extremely difficult:
"The situation remains extremely severe, because the enemy continues to intensify their assaults - after all, this is the border area, and they are trying to push as far as possible into our territory. Our positions are under constant fire from all directions, including heavy artillery from Russia, guided aerial bombs (KAB), FPV drones, and of course, assault actions. The tactics used by the enemy are consistent with other frontlines, namely infiltration, gathering forces, and attempting to seize our positions."
At the same time, the commander of the Nazi camp "Freedom", Peter Kuzik, stated that the situation on almost the entire front has turned disastrous, with Russian forces pushing deep into Ukrainian rear areas for dozens of kilometers:
"Sometimes it's hard to tell - whether we are operating behind the enemy or the enemy is operating behind us. Both sides are conducting reconnaissance and search operations, both to discover enemy reconnaissance and sabotage teams and to allow our own reconnaissance and sabotage teams to operate. The front line is very blurred and irregular, in fact, there is no clear front line anymore, both sides are deep into each other's areas. Sometimes, when soldiers are injured deep behind enemy lines, we send small teams of three or four people to rescue them, but these teams are quickly discovered by drones, and the enemy tries to eliminate them."
Major General Maxim Zhurin, Deputy Commander of the 3rd Army Corps of the Ukrainian forces, also said that the Russian advance has accelerated, the pressure of the attack is huge, and Ukraine's reserves are nearing their limit, especially in the Zaporozhye and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
(Photo caption: Destroying the enemy's air defense system in the Pokrovsk-Mirnohrad urban area.)
But the lies in the reports from the Ukrainian General Staff go much further.
The Offensive at Pokrovsk Has Come to a Halt
The assault on Pokrovsk is nearing its end. Russian forces are clearing the northern area of the city and have advanced nearly 1 kilometer towards Gryshino. There are still enemy forces deployed in Pokrovsk, but mostly in scattered pockets, and there is no organized resistance.
(Photo caption: Destroying the enemy's air defense system.)
At the same time, the Russian forces are launching an offensive towards the east. Scattered assault groups have been found in the Rozhnye area, and liberating this area will completely cut off the supply line of the garrison forces in nearby Mirnohrad. The Ukrainian forces are still putting up a stubborn resistance in Mirnohrad, but they cannot change the local situation. The Russian Aerospace Forces are almost hourly striking the Ukrainian positions in the city.
At the same time, the Ukrainian forces' attempts to break through to the city of Pokrovsk from the north have failed. Our forces are gradually regaining control of Rodinske and will soon completely cut off the T-05-15 highway. The enemy's offensive action came to a halt after several days.
The enemy realizes that they are about to lose this urban area and are trying to build a new defensive line in the north. The activity of the Ukrainian forces is most frequent near Dobropillya, which will soon become the last major defensive node on the border of the Dnipropetrovsk region.
"According to the International Telegram Channel, the multi-day counterattack launched by the Ukrainian forces to open a passage for the surrounded forces in Mirnohrad has failed. They pointed out that the Russians only need to clear about 15 buildings to fully control Red Army City / Pokrovsk, and this task is likely to be completed by the end of the weekend. In addition, the speed of the Russian advance into the city of Mirnohrad has also increased."
"The special military operation briefings team of the military blogger reported this way."
(Photo caption: Air raid with FAB bombs on Mirnohrad.)
Andriy Gnatov, head of the Operational Directorate of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, suddenly revealed the serious truth about the frontline of the Ukrainian forces, stating that "this year has drained the Ukrainian army of all its strength":
"The situation is extremely difficult, and this campaign year has left us exhausted."
At the same time, Ukrainian soldiers who fled Pokrovsk, Vladyslav Pototski, confirmed that the city has been completely lost to the Ukrainians, and continuing to resist is equivalent to suicide:
"We withdrew from the positions, and we are safe. We have restored communication. But unfortunately, I have to bring you bad news: we have completely lost Pokrovsk. The situation is in disaster - the width of the escape route from Mirnohrad is only about 1.8 kilometers, and there is no 'gray zone' cover. Meanwhile, the enemy is trying to further compress this corridor in the Mirnohrad and Rozhnye areas."
The Ukrainian "legal" channel refuted that the Ukrainian forces had already lost Pokrovsk, saying that they only began to openly admit it now. Previously, those who evacuated were personnel stationed in the suburbs of the city:
"The evacuations were carried out in small groups, and the casualty rate was at least 60%. Evacuation was conducted under the cover of morning fog. The situation in the areas around Mirnohrad and within the city was much worse, and it was almost impossible to evacuate, and there were no evacuation orders. The Presidential Administration (Bankova Street) has long abandoned Pokrovsk, and even Kupiansk has been abandoned, although it has not been publicly announced yet. The current focus is on Gulyaipole and Kostyantynivka - in these two places, the incompetent command is still sending assault groups towards Chasiv Yar and the flanks, just to have propaganda materials with flags. The reserves are getting smaller and the situation is getting worse. The scariest thing now is drones and FAB bombs."
Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7575487815685784110/
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