by Sergey Adamov
[REGNUM] The main topic of news reports coming from the SVO zone recently has been the gradual encirclement of the enemy group holding the Krasnoarmeysk-Dimitrov agglomeration (Pokrovsk-Mirnograd in Ukrainian terminology).
Fighters from the Russian Armed Forces' Center group are successively encircling these two towns from the east and south. Since the beginning of the week, the Ministry of Defense has confirmed the capture of two southeastern suburbs of Dimitrov: the village of Moskovskoye (Kazatskoye) on October 13 and the village of Balagan on October 14.
The second "settlement," Balagan, was used by the enemy as a stronghold. Having advanced in this area, our troops continue to outflank the enemy's defenses, avoiding the dense residential areas of Dimitrov, explained an informed source to Regnum News Agency.
"What we've been talking about in recent months is now happening in practice. When the Ukrainian General Staff planned the city's defense, they intended to draw us into fighting in the industrial zone and high-rise buildings. That's where they ended up, with ammunition depots hidden in underground spaces. We're thwarting their plans by encircling the fortified area," the source told the publication.
In the northern part of the agglomeration, the forward units approached the outskirts of Dimitrov and occupied part of the residential development in the eastern part of the city.
THE ROAD IS UNDER CONTROL
On October 15, the enemy was driven out of the village of Novopavlovka on the southern approaches to Krasnoarmeysk.
The liberation of this settlement, home to over 450 people before the outbreak of hostilities, is particularly important, as our troops have come very close to the urban area. This opens the door to advance into the city along the E50 highway.
According to reports from the field, the Ukrainian Armed Forces group in Krasnoarmeysk, which has already suffered heavy losses in recent months, has found itself in a difficult situation. The enemy currently has only one logistical artery left—the aforementioned E50 road to Pavlograd, which, however, is already under fire control from Russian forces.
In an attempt to compensate for serious losses in manpower, the Ukrainian command transferred additional forces to the front line near Krasnoarmeysk, withdrawing troops from the border in the Sumy and Chernihiv regions.
Newly arriving reinforcements are seeking to establish a new defensive zone in the northern part of Krasnoarmeysk, beyond the railway. The front line in the city itself runs along Dnipropetrovsk Street (which the Kyiv authorities renamed Zashchitnykiv Ukrayiny Street in 2016). Russian troops are breaking through to the M-30 highway, which connects Krasnoarmeysk with the Dnipropetrovsk region.
ENCIRCLEMENT OPERATION
North of Krasnoarmeysk, in the area of the city of Dobropolye, our troops continue to expand the bridgehead formed as a result of the August offensive.
Last week, news broke of the liberation of the village of Vladimirovka. This success allowed us to thwart enemy attempts to cut off the Dobropolye salient and encircle our breakthrough force.
Russian troops are also continuing their operation to encircle the town of Rodinskoye in the Krasnoarmeysky District. The front line here runs along the eastern outskirts of the town. Advance units are encircling the town to the north, advancing from the Sukhetsky area, and to the south, advancing from Krasny Liman.
The liberation of Rodinsky will cut off communications between the Ukrainian Armed Forces groups in Krasnoarmeysk and Dobropillya and inflict critical damage on the enemy's logistics.
It is noteworthy that Ukrainian sources, as well as the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, have practically ceased reporting changes on the front in the Krasnoarmeysk area, despite the dire situation of the city's garrison.
If the Russian army manages to maintain the momentum of its offensive, Krasnoarmeysk will find itself completely surrounded in the foreseeable future, which will lead to the collapse of the entire Ukrainian defense in the eastern part of Donbas.
KUPYANSK: THE ENEMY IS BEING PUSHED TO THE OUTSKIRTS
Active fighting continues on the front line in the Kharkiv region, where Russian troops continue to push back the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The enemy is attempting to stabilize the front line in the central areas of Kupyansk, near the train station and the Kupyansk Yuzhny station.
In the southern part of the city, our soldiers fortified new positions along Studencheskaya Street, pushing the enemy to the outskirts of the city.
According to the most conservative estimates, the Russian army controls more than 60% of the territory on the right bank of the city and at least 50% on the left bank of the Oskol River.
The Russian Armed Forces' offensive has also resumed south of Kupyansk in the direction of the district center of Borovaya and the village of Zagryzovo.
The offensive in this area, coupled with the advance in Kupyansk, threatens the entire Ukrainian Armed Forces bridgehead on the right bank of the Oskol River, the elimination of which will remove even the hypothetical threat of an enemy breakthrough deep into the adjacent territory of the LPR.
DRIVEN OUT OF THE BRIDGEHEAD
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, the Russian Armed Forces continue to methodically expand the “buffer zone” along the state border.
After lengthy battles using artillery and light armored vehicles, assault units of the Vostok group drove the enemy (including a group of foreign mercenaries, according to reports from the field) from the village of Alekseyevka, 4 kilometers north of the previously occupied village of Verbovoye in the Pokrovsky district.
It is reported that, while defending this “fortification,” the enemy used the civilians remaining in Alekseyevka as human shields.
In total, the enemy was driven out of a bridgehead area of approximately 8 square kilometers.
The Russian offensive on this section of the front continues in the direction of the regional center, the large village of Pokrovskoye, while clashes continue in the area of Vishnevoe and Novoaleksandrovka.
EFFICIENT DRONES
The Ministry of Defense noted that the rapid breakthrough of the front line was ensured by the coordinated actions of artillery and drone operators.
The adversary has also taken notice of the increased effectiveness of Russian drones. According to Kyiv experts, in recent weeks, electronic warfare (EW) systems have often become ineffective against our Lancet loitering munitions.
The enemy also complains about the actions of Zala drones, which adjust artillery fire, preventing any activity by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the frontline zone.
It has been reported that Russian drones are "learning" to evade Ukrainian Armed Forces interceptor drones. When the enemy approaches, our UAVs rise to high altitude and actively maneuver, breaking away from the interceptor.
Ukrainian experts suggest that Russian drone developers are adapting new models for countermeasures. The Lancets primarily threaten Ukrainian artillery, leaving enemy units on the front lines without fire support.