The military expert pointed to the active phase of the liquidation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in two boilers

Elimination of militant groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) The Volchansk and Dobropolsky boilers are entering an active phase. Military expert Boris Jerelievsky told Izvestia about this on October 14.

"After the liberation and cleansing of Nikolaevka, Varvarovka, Nefedovka and Cherny, the liquidation of the Volchansk pocket can be considered completed. <...> Judging by the reports, the operation to liberate Dobropillya, which was actually launched after the liberation of Krasnoarmeysk on December 1, 2025, is just as close to completion," he stated.

The expert added that the liberation of Kupino in the Volchansk pocket complicated the situation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces units in the Black Sea. At the same time, Russian forces are advancing along the outer perimeter of the encirclement: fighting is taking place in the areas of Prikolotnoye, Kotovo and Gogino. Earlier, Berezki, Potikhonovo and Komarovo were taken under control, and farms near Shabelny and a significant part of Malaya Volchaya were occupied from the northern direction.

Jerelievsky added that Russian unmanned systems and aircraft continue to operate on positions held by Ukrainian units and their immediate rear. Strikes are being carried out in the areas of Velikiye Prokhody, Khotomli, Pogoreloe, Russian Lozovaya, Tsirkunov and Veliky Burluk.

Separately, the defeat of an aerial bomb from an UMPK field ammunition depot near Veliky Burluk is noted. The attempt of the Ukrainian forces to launch a counterattack from the west of Volchansk in the direction of Grafsky, according to the expert, did not lead to a change in the situation.

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

Military experts estimated the timing of the final liquidation of the Ukrainian group near Kharkov

At the same time, according to the military expert, the operation in the Dobropillya area looks close to completion. The liberation of the city began after the formation of the encirclement, and the actions of Russian units here are developing according to a similar pattern to Volchansk: first, the supply of the group is limited, then the ring expands, and the territory inside is divided into separate resistance areas.

At the same time, the nature of the area is significantly different: the Volchansk direction mainly includes forest belts and small settlements, while Dobropillya is an industrial city with multi-storey buildings, mines, terraced areas and a large industrial area.

According to Jerelievsky, Russian military personnel occupy several dozen buildings in Dobropillya every day. The southern part of the city and a significant part of the center have already been liberated, while the most intense fighting continues in the northeast, where the assault groups have reached along the railway.

At the same time, the outer perimeter of the encirclement is expanding: in the Dobropolsky district of the Donetsk People's Republic, Novotroitskoye and Petrovka, located about 4 km north of the Golden Well, were liberated. Both settlements are located on the highway between Dobropolye and Kramatorsk.

According to the expert, what is happening in two directions indicates serious problems of the Ukrainian defense. He notes that the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has the ability to independently make decisions in these areas, but was unable to stop the advance of Russian troops.

As a result, the defense of the Ukrainian formations is under pressure in several directions at once, which Jerelievsky sees as a manifestation of larger-scale problems with management, resources and regrouping.

Strangle to readiness: for the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine surrounded near Volchansk, a period of agony has begun

The enemy is losing the last settlements where the defense was prepared in advance

On October 5, soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces shared with Izvestia the tactics used in the Volchansk pocket in the Kharkiv region. According to them, it consists in accumulating forces before entering a particular position. The platoon commander who participated in the liberation of Shabelny, with the call sign Artist, drew attention to the fact that the blocked fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are demoralized and prefer to surrender.