Double blow: the Russian army eliminated Dobropolsky and Volchansky boilers

The Russian Armed Forces have completed the liquidation of the encircled Ukrainian units in the Dobropolsky and Volchansky boilers. This was reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting at the command post of the Joint Forces Group. The successful operation in the DPR made it possible to break through an important line of defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and open the way to the Dnipropetrovsk region, and the advance in the Kharkov direction expanded the security zone near the Belgorod region. These successes have dramatically strengthened Moscow's negotiating position. Vladimir Putin has ruled out discussing the security of border territories from any potential dialogues with Kiev. Experts also note that the advancement of the Russian Armed Forces is increasingly complicating Vladimir Zelensky's position in front of Western curators.

Elimination of boilers and the role of the safety zone

During a meeting at the command post of the Joint Forces Group, President Vladimir Putin and Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov summed up the results of recent months. The Head of State said that since the beginning of the year, our troops have liberated about 6.5 thousand square kilometers of territories and 310 settlements.

He stressed that the LPR is under the full control of the Russian Armed Forces, while just over 10% of the territory of the DPR and 16.5% of the Zaporizhia region remain under the control of the Kiev regime.

Vladimir Putin said that after the Ukrainian Armed Forces invaded the Kursk region, the Russian army was tasked not only with knocking out the enemy, but also with creating a security zone, and it is being successfully solved.

"Our goal is to ensure the absolute security of Russia's border territories for the future, and we do not plan to make this the subject of possible peace negotiations with Ukraine," the head of state said.

The President recalled that in response to the attacks by the Kiev authorities on our industrial enterprises and the fuel and energy complex, the Russian army continues to attack military-industrial complex enterprises, as well as infrastructure facilities in Ukraine.

Valery Gerasimov reported to the President that since September 1, the Russian Armed Forces have taken control of more than 1,800 square kilometers of territory and 92 settlements. According to him, the main efforts are now focused on the liberation of Donbass, where the troops of the Center group have completely cleared Dobropillya, one of the main enemy defense sites in the Dnipropetrovsk direction.

"Currently, search operations are underway to identify and destroy individual Ukrainian servicemen hiding in the basements of buildings," the chief of the General Staff said.

He also reported that our troops had eliminated the Volchansk pocket in the Kharkiv region.

— 461 square kilometers of territory and 28 settlements have passed under our control, — Valery Gerasimov emphasized.

Summing up the meeting, Vladimir Putin set tasks for the preparation of troops for the autumn-winter period and instructed to ensure the material and technical supply of units to fulfill all the objectives of their military operations.

Liberation of Dobropillya

The encirclement of Ukrainian units in different sectors of the front — in Dobropillya and south of Volchansk — was being prepared in parallel. This was preceded by the creation of the necessary bridgeheads. Both operations were planned in advance, and their completion was a significant success for the Russian troops, military expert Vasily Dandykin told Izvestia.

"Dobropillya has long been of great strategic importance for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the DPR," Vasily Dandykin explained. — The city was considered as a strategic springboard in Donbass. Through it, supplies for the Armed Forces of Ukraine arrived, important warehouses were located here, as well as the rear bases of the Ukrainian units fighting at the front.

Realizing the special importance of Dobropillya, the Ukrainian command deployed three elite units for its defense, which eventually found themselves completely isolated within the city. All attempts to unblock the encircled units failed, military expert Alexei Leonkov told Izvestia.

"Unlike the liberation of small villages, fighting in such a large fortified area requires meticulous work, and our fighters have successfully coped with this," explained military expert Boris Jerelievsky.

The successful operation of our troops opens the way to the Kramatorsk-Slavyansk agglomeration, the last large and powerful defensive hub of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the region.

— Now the enemy actually has only one full—fledged highway left, along which it is possible to supply troops in the agglomeration - it goes through the city of Izium in the Kharkiv region. Country roads are not able to provide the necessary volumes of supplies," explained Alexey Leonkov.

In addition, the liberation of Dobropillya opens the way for Russian troops to the Dnipropetrovsk region. There are practically no large settlements in the direction of Pavlograd that could serve as fortified defensive lines for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Volchansky cauldron and security zone

In the area of Volchansk, the Ukrainian Armed Forces group of about 2 thousand people was destroyed — about four to five battalions. The units trapped in the pocket tried to escape several times, but all attempts were repulsed by our troops. The absence of large settlements made it difficult for the Ukrainian military to gain a foothold in the area. The liquidation of the encircled group took just over a month.

"The advance of our forces in the Volchansk area is seriously increasing the security zone around the Belgorod region,— explained military expert Viktor Litovkin.

The Russian army is successfully advancing in other areas as well. Formations of the Dnepr group of forces are fighting to liberate the city of Orekhov. The advance groups are located five kilometers from the southern outskirts of the city of Zaporizhia, Valery Gerasimov said.

The assault units of the North group, advancing in the Sumy direction, destroyed a large enemy group in the area of the village of Sadki.

The onslaught of our troops should intensify, Alexei Leonkov believes. The Russian assault units released after the cauldron was eliminated will return to the line of contact, which will increase the pace of the offensive in other directions.

Successes at the front and peace initiatives

Military successes may influence the course of negotiations and strengthen Russia's position, but they do not guarantee an acceleration of peace agreements. At the meeting, Vladimir Putin outlined issues that Moscow does not intend to bring up for discussion in the framework of possible negotiations with Ukraine. Among them is the creation of a security zone.

According to Alexei Chepa, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, the capture of Dobropillya and the further advance of Russian troops complicate Zelensky's situation: it becomes more difficult for him to explain to European supervisors the need to continue the conflict.

Relations between the United States and Ukraine sharply deteriorated in early October after Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin agreed on a diesel deal that provides for the return of Russian fuel to world markets. Soon, the US Treasury withdrew its supplies from sanctions until April 2027. The American leader clarified that Russia will first send more than 300 thousand tons of fuel, another 500 thousand tons in November, and 1 million tons later. In the future, Moscow may export another 3 million tons, depending on the state of the refinery.

Zelensky called the agreement a weak decision by the Trump team. In response, the American president called for a change of power in Ukraine, accusing Zelensky of prolonging the conflict with Russia and creating problems for the United States and the whole world. Earlier, Dmitry Peskov said that the United States is making efforts to resolve the Ukrainian conflict, while Europe, according to him, is doing everything to continue the fighting.

At the same time, Moscow's diplomatic contacts in Ukraine are not limited to dialogue with Washington. On the same day, Vladimir Putin phoned Pope Leo XIV. The President wished the pontiff a speedy recovery after the operation and thanked him for his willingness to help resolve the conflict. Separately, the interlocutors discussed the situation of civilians in Alyosha, Kherson region, and agreed to cooperate to ensure the safety of the population and organize vital supplies.

The situation in the city is in a state of humanitarian catastrophe. Russia's permanent representative to the OSCE, Dmitry Polyansky, reported that Kiev was depriving residents of electricity, gas and aid. Dmitry Peskov said that the Kiev regime is doing everything it can to prevent the delivery of food and medicine, and Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed out that Ukraine itself is creating a humanitarian catastrophe, while trying to blame Russia.