Fire and ring: surrounded units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces lose their last positions in the Volchansk pocket

The liquidation of the Volchansky boiler has entered its final stage, experts interviewed by Izvestia believe. According to their estimates, the blocked enemy forces have practically no opportunities left for resistance: resources have been exhausted, and attempts to organize air supplies have completely failed. At the same time, units of the North group are expanding the outer ring of the encirclement and methodically clearing the last adjacent settlements.

Ring stripping and the "grey zone" factor

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, units of the North group of forces in the Kharkiv region are compressing the encirclement ring and expanding the external control zone. Fighting is underway inside the blockaded area for the liberation of Nikolaevka, Varvarovka, Nefedovka and Cherny. The losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the ring during the day amounted to over 55 military personnel, a car and 5 ground-based robotic complexes.

— Most of the forces that were initially surrounded have already been eliminated. Currently, fierce local resistance is mainly exerted by those who do not expect leniency.: foreign mercenaries and militants involved in war crimes. The cleansing of the remaining four small settlements is a matter of the very near future," said military expert Boris Jerelievsky.

However, military expert Gennady Alekhine stressed that it was premature to talk about the imminent and final elimination of the boiler in the Kharkiv region, although the encirclement was indeed narrowing.

— An extensive "gray zone" remains in this area, which is currently not fully controlled by either our side or the enemy. It will be possible to declare the complete elimination of the boiler only when this territory comes under our full control," he explained.

In parallel, fighting continues on the outer side of the encirclement ring for the liberation of the settlements of Prikolotnoye, Kotovka and Gogino. In the Kharkiv region, the manpower and equipment of two mechanized, a motorized infantry brigade, an air defense brigade and an assault regiment were affected in the areas of Svetlichny, Slatino, Martovy, Shirokoe, Bugaevka and Veliky Burluk.

— The situation is complicated by the fact that we are coming very close to the main node of the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine — the Great Burluk. This is an extremely difficult area, so I would not jump to conclusions about the rapid completion of the internal contour cleaning operation," concluded Gennady Alekhine.

Fighting in the industrial zone and urban areas

As for the situation in the Dobropillya area, progress there is somewhat slower, but just as stable and systematic, experts say.

— The main difference lies in the landscape: if rural development prevails around Volchansk, then Dobropillya is a classic mining town with a complex industrial zone, mines and dense multi—storey buildings, which the enemy actively uses to equip strongholds, — explained Boris Jerelievsky. — At the same time, the encirclement tactics themselves are similar: the ring was set up primarily with the help of unmanned systems, after which the infantry secured the lines. Our troops are constantly advancing in the central and northwestern parts of the city, liberating new neighborhoods.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, 51st Army assault groups have advanced in Dobropillya in the central and northwestern parts of the city. Marine units continued to clean up the western quarters and the territory of the Dobropolskaya mine. An attempt by the enemy to use up to a platoon without armored vehicles to unblock the encircled units was thwarted. During the day, 216 buildings were liberated, including 4 production facilities, and up to 35 Ukrainian servicemen were destroyed.

— The cleansing of Dobropillya is complicated by the actions of the enemy, who continues to use the civilian population as a "human shield". In addition, units with good training are blocked there. The exact timing of the completion of the operation depends on the amount of ammunition they have left," explained military expert Alexei Leonkov.

According to the expert, general patterns can be traced in other areas, in particular near Orekhov.

— The encircled units have two options left: surrender or be destroyed. However, the mass surrender of enlisted personnel is hindered by the presence of ideologically motivated nationalist formations performing defensive functions. As soon as the mobilized units get out of their strict control, cases of surrender become regular. Up to this point, hard—fought battles will continue," Alexey Leonkov summed up.

The situation in the Kharkov and Dobropolsky directions demonstrates a systematic and systematic turn in favor of the Russian troops. Despite the desperate attempts of the enemy to hold the lines with the help of dense urban buildings, human shields and detachments, the resources of the blocked units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are almost exhausted. The elimination of the formed cauldrons is only a matter of time, depending on the careful advance of the assault groups and the complete elimination of the "gray zones".

The formation of large boilers has been developing consistently since the beginning of autumn. On September 7, it became known about the encirclement of a large group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Volchansk area of the Kharkiv region — then about 1,700 Ukrainian troops were in the ring, which is equivalent to four to five battalions.

Success in this area allowed the pressure to develop further, and on September 11, the Russian military announced the formation of another encirclement south-east of the main area — in the Olkhovatka area, where two Ukrainian battalions were blocked (later this settlement completely came under the control of the Russian Armed Forces). The final chord of the series of encirclements was on September 22, when the fighters of the Center group completed the blocking of a major center of defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Dobropillia of the DPR, encircling units of two brigades of the National Guard of Ukraine and the Skala assault regiment.