Chopping Nuts: Russian troops increase pressure on the defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near Zaporozhye

Units of the Vostok group of forces advanced into the depths of the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and liberated the village of Obshchestvo in the Zaporozhye region, the Russian Defense Ministry said. At the same time, the fighters of the Dnepr group improved the situation in the Orekhovsky direction. As the interviewed experts told Izvestia, the advance of Russian troops may complicate the situation of the Ukrainian garrison in Orekhovo and create prerequisites for covering its positions from the flanks. How the offensive is developing and whether the Ukrainian Armed Forces will be able to hold the defenses on the outskirts of the city — in the Izvestia article.

A springboard for the offensive

Units of the Vostok group of forces are expanding their foothold in the Zaporizhia region — they have liberated the village of Obshchestvo. Russian military personnel have advanced into the depth of the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said. According to the ministry, attacks on Ukrainian forces were also carried out in several areas of the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia regions. The losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine exceeded 210 servicemen.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Alexey Maishev

In the Orekhovo direction, units of the Dnepr group of forces improved their position along the front line and defeated Ukrainian formations in the areas of Orekhovo, Dimitrov and Preobrazhenka. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost up to 30 soldiers, 12 vehicles and a counter-battery radar station. According to experts interviewed by Izvestia, a change in the situation in these areas may affect the stability of the Ukrainian defense.

Earlier, Izvestia wrote that Orekhov is of strategic importance for the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Zaporizhia region. It is an important transport and logistics hub and a large fortified area on the outskirts of the regional center. It was noted that in the city itself, administrative and multi—storey buildings are used to house the command staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and civilian transport is used for logistics, which makes it difficult to use Russian drones. Most of the settlements included in the Orekhovsky fortified area have already been liberated by our army.

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The prospect of isolation

Russian troops have taken Orekhov into an operational environment and are controlling the communications of the Ukrainian garrison with the help of drones, military expert Boris Jerelievsky told Izvestia. According to him, this has already led to problems with the supply and rotation of units, as well as with the provision of medical care. The expert also noted that Russian groups have begun to operate in the city.

— In fact, Orekhov has a double ring of insulation. Heavy work is currently underway on the bridges in Zaporizhia — they are under constant fire. This limits the supply capabilities not only of Orekhov itself, where logistics are already blocked, but also of those forces that could try to unblock the city," said Boris Jerelievsky.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Konstantin Mikhalchevsky

Logistics control remains one of the key factors in the fighting in this area. According to military expert Viktor Litovkin, Russian units are trying to disrupt the supply of the Ukrainian group. To do this, they use intelligence and drones that monitor roads and traffic. The detected targets are attacked by attack UAVs.

— Drones are on duty along the roads. When enemy vehicles appear, they rise into the air and attack them. Other methods are also used to disrupt supply. In military parlance, this is called "keeping the road under fire control," the expert explained.

A firing ring has already been formed in the Orekhovsky direction around the Ukrainian positions, military expert Yuri Knutov told Izvestia. Control of supply routes with the help of artillery and aviation is of great tactical importance for the completion of the operation and the further advance of Russian troops towards Zaporizhia.

— Now we have begun to use fire tactics more widely. It's not just about creating a semicircle where enemy roads and supply routes are blocked by drones, artillery, and aircraft, but also about the physical environment. This is a more difficult task, but it allows you to almost completely destroy enemy troops," the expert explained.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Stanislav Krasilnikov

The liberation of populated areas is important not only from the point of view of advancing Russian troops, but also for securing new frontiers, Yuri Knutov said. The occupied positions make it possible to organize small supply points, provide the units with the necessary resources and create conditions for further advancement.

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The weak link of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The Orekhovsky fortified area is one of the most powerful defensive units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in this area. Speaking about the morale of the Ukrainian army, Yuriy Knutov recalled cases of desertion. According to him, the situation with morale in the Armed Forces of Ukraine is also evidenced by the situation in the Skala unit, which is almost overflowing with deserters.

— Deserters escape from the units two or three times, they are caught and sent to the "Rock". This indicates that morale is very low due to the fact that Ukrainian troops are being defeated and retreating in different areas. As a result, this affects the general condition of the military themselves," he said.

Thus, the advance of Russian troops in the Orekhov area creates prerequisites for further pressure on the Ukrainian defense from the flanks. The liberation of new settlements allows us to gain a foothold on the occupied borders, organize the supply of units and prepare the conditions for a further offensive. At the same time, control over roads and crossings makes it difficult to transfer reserves and rotate the Ukrainian military.

Photo: RIA Novosti/Sergey Bobylev

Under these conditions, the Ukrainian command will have to distribute forces between several sectors of the front and look for ways to restore disrupted communications. If the Russian units manage to maintain the pace of advance and increase pressure on logistics, the situation of the Ukrainian garrison will become even more complicated.