Military Overview: Week Of Victories Of Russian ArmySouth Front

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Ukrainian defense in the Donbass is no longer suffering crisis, it is already crumbling paving the way for Russian advance to the west, where the Armed Forces of Ukraine have no heavily equipped fortifications and strongholds. The pace of Russian offensive allows to suppose that the liberation of the remaining areas of the Donetsk People’s Republic and other regions from Ukrainian forces may be expected in the coming months. If Kiev does not agree to launch negotiations with Moscow.

No efforts have helped the Ukrainian military to stop Russian advance. Over the past week, the Russian army has won a number of important victories in different directions on the frontlines and inflicted heavy damage to Ukrainian military infrastructure in the strategic and tactical rear areas.

Since the beginning of autumn, Russian strikes in Ukrainian rear regions became daily. Depleted Ukrainian air defense can no longer protect strategically important facilities. After a large number of air defense systems, including those supplied by NATO, were transferred to the front and in the border Sumy region to support military operations in the Kursk region three months ago, Ukrainian rear regions were left almost without air defense. Even the forces left to protect the capital Kiev cannot repel Russian strikes.

The Ukrainian military is suffering the lack in air defense systems as well as in experienced soldiers, who can operate them. Another scandal broke out in Kiev after the military command was accused of throwing precious air defense specialists into battles on the frontlines in infantry units.

Ukrainian air defense is only winning in the official reports by the Air Force command. According to them, on the night of November 3rd, Ukrainian forces destroyed 66 Russian UAVs of different types out of 96 that targeted the Ukrainian territory. The other 30 drones allegedly went missing or escaped to the territory of Belarus.

Russian drones in Kiev:

Meanwhile, explosions thundered across the country, including in the city of Kiev and its region, the Zhitomir and Sumy regions, where the Armed Forces of Ukraine accumulated reserves necessary to continue operations on the Russian territory.

Russian drones were again spotted circling around the city of Kiev. The local officials are trying their best to hide the damage and do not reveal the results of Russian strikes.

At night, at least two Russian Iskander-M missiles destroyed the training camp of the 47th separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine hidden in the village of Malinovka in the Kharkiv region. Ukrainian soldiers were trained to enter battles in the Kursk region but only the luckiest of them survived the attack and were taken to a hospital in Kharkiv instead of the Russian region.

On the evening of November 2nd, another precision strike with Iskander-M missiles thwarted the transfer of NATO weapons and military equipment in the village of Elizarovo (Svyatovasilievka) in the Dnepropetrovsk region. After Ukrainian forces loaded the military echelon with Western equipment, it was destroyed with the timely Russian strike.

These are only some of the confirmed targets destroyed by Russian strikes deep in the Ukrainian rear areas but the heaviest losses to the Ukrainian military are inflicted by constant strikes on their positions near the front.

The devastating daily strikes disrupt military supplies from NATO to Ukraine as well as transfer of military equipment to the battlefields. Critical damage to military, industrial and energy infrastructure prevent the Ukrainian army from producing and repairing military equipment. As a result, the Ukrainian military has no chance to change the power balance on the front.

In its turn, the Russian army is rapidly developing offensive through its tactics of semi-encirclement of large Ukrainian strongholds. As a result, after many months of tactical advances, Russian troops have moved to the operational level of operations with decisive goals.

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The most rapid Russian advance is ongoing in the Donbass, in particular in the Pokrovsk, Kurakhovo and Ugledar directions.

Over the past week, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation liberated two strategically important cities in the Pokrovsk direction, Selidovo and Gornyak, and Ukrainian strongholds continue falling one by one. On November 3, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed full control of Vishnevoye, located on the western outskirts of Selidovo. Russian units are expanding their zone of control north of Selidovo on the Vishnevoye-Lysovka front in order to secure control and destroy the pocket of Ukrainian resistance on the flanks. Forces of the 15th Operational Assignment Kara Dag Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine and the 68th Jaeger Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine retreat on this front.

While the intensity of the fighting in the Pokrovsk direction is not decreasing, the main goal of the Russian military now is encircling and destruction of the Ukrainian garrison in the area of Kurakhovo. Russian forces are conducting offensive operations in a dozen directions around the city.

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In recent days, the Ukrainian defense has fallen in several settlements north of the Kurakhovo reservoir. Russian forces are advancing in the area of Novodmitrovka and Novoselidovka, where the 137th Marine Battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine attempts to resist. The mop up operation continues in the area of Novodmitrovka. Battles are ongoing almost on the entire line of contact from Vishnevoye to Ilyinka. The Russian military is probing the Ukrainian defense on a wide front, looking for weak points with small infantry groups and inflicting fire damage on resistance nodes.

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On the southern flank, the Russian Armed Forces pushed the front up to 10 km north of Ugledar, approaching the rear and threatening with encirclement the Ukrainian garrison in Kurakhovo.

After they won battle for Katerinovka, the Russian Armed Forces gained a foothold on the eastern outskirts of Antonovka, taking the surrendered Ukrainian soldiers from the 123rd Separate Brigade of Territorial Defense prisoners. Fierce battles are ongoing in Ilyinka and Elizaveetovka. At the end of October, units of the Russian Armed Forces advanced in the area of Bogoyavlenka. To the east, Russian stormtroopers took full control of Novoukrainka and Russian forces are destroying Ukrainian units which are trying to resist in the pocket between Novoukrainka and Bogoyavlenka.

Russians take prisoners in Antonovka:

and near Bogoyavlenka:

The 1st battalion of the 39th Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launch attacks southeast of Elizavetovka:

To the east, Russian forces took control three settlements. They include Shakhterskoye, Yasnaya Polyana and Maksimovka. After the 37th Separate Brigade of Marines and the 123rd separate brigade of territorial defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were repelled from the latter, the front along the Yasnaya Polyana-Trudovoye line was straightened.

Ukrainian defense is falling in the steppes and cannot withstand Russian assaults in the villages. The Russian military uses effective tactics. They storm the villages with a sharp breakthrough, gain a foothold there and then tighten the flanks. The next Russian breakthrough will target the Rozliv — Sukhye Yaly line. Control of the strongholds there will allow the Russians to take fire control of the highway from Zaporizhia to Kurakhovo and cut any military supplies to the Ukrainian grouping in Kurakhovo. Over the past 24 hours, the Russians have advanced in the steppes toward Rozliv.

Ukrainian forces flee from Maksimovka:

In Kurakhovo, the Russian military is preparing for assault. After they gained a foothold on the eastern outskirts, Russian artillery and Aerospace Forces are pounding Ukrainian positions in the city. Ukrainian garrison still fighting in Kurakhovo includes several units, forces of the 35th marine, 24th brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Russian tactics of semi-encirclement supposes that Russian forces will launch offensive on the streets of the city before the last road to Kurakhovo is cut off. As a result,larger Ukrainian forces will be contained in street battles until the cauldron is closed from the northern and southern directions. According to preliminary reports from the front, the Russian army has just launched a large-scale offensive on the city but the reports are yet to be confirmed.

The Russian army maintains the military initiative in all other directions.

North of the Donetsk urban agglomeration, Russian forces are grinding through Ukrainian defense in Toretsk and villages nearby in order to pave the way for further offensive to Konstantinovka. Russian assault groups are slowly advancing in heavy urban battles in Toretsk, destroying positions of the 5th separate assault brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other units. At least one of them consists of Ukrainian policemen. The 2nd consolidated special purpose brigade called Hichnik (Predator) was created by the Patrol Police Department of Ukraine. It was first spotted in battles in Chasov Yar in June 2024. Today, one of Ukrainian police units is fighting in Toretsk. The policemen are thrown into battles in the most dangerous directions in an attempt to slow down Russian advance as the Ukrainian military is suffering heavy losses and hunt for cannon fodder on the streets throughout the country does not help to replenish the units with manpower.

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At the same time, Russian forces approached Konstantinovka from the northern direction, where they are fighting on the streets of Chasov Yar. Over the past week, they slightly expanded their zone of control in the Oktyabrsky district in Chasov Yar and advanced towards the Seversky Donets-Donbass canal southwest of Klescheevka.

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In the Krasny Liman direction, Russian assault groups are destroying positions of the Ukrainian 60th separate motorized brigade near Terny, surrounding the town from the northern and eastern directions. Ukrainian defense was weakened and local Russian attacks bring rapid victories. To the north, the Russian army took control of Pershotravneve (Pervomaiskoe) located west of Svatove. As a result, an important road used for Ukrainian military supplies was cut off.

To the south, Russians launched assault on Torskoe, battles continue there. Heavy battles continue in the Serebryansky forestry, where the 53rd separate motorized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the 119th brigade of the territorial defense do not allow Russian forces to advance to the south.

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The Russian army achieved new victories in the Kupyansk direction. North of the city, Russian forces entered Petropavlivka and gained a foothold there, expanding their zone of control in different directions from Sinkovka. To the south, the battle for Kruglikovka ended with Russian victory. The Main Intelligence Directorate repelled Russian forces from the village in staged videos but failed to hold control in reality. LINK

Positional battles continue in the Kharkiv direction. Ukrainian groups attempt to counterattack in the area of Staritsa and in Volchansk but they fail to break through Russian defense.

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Suffering heavy defeats on the Donbass frontlines, the Kiev regime is not withdrawing forces from the Russian Kursk region. The Ukrainian military is forced to waste large forces and deploy additional reserves to the Russian territory to bring media victories to Zelensky and his patrons in Washington.

Despite large reinforcement, Ukrainian forces do not stop retreating in the Kursk region. Russian forces advanced east of Kremyanoe. Battles broke out near Pogrebki.

Heavy battles continue in the area of Lyubimovka and Tolsty Lug, where Ukrainian units resist despite their almost complete surrounding. Russian forces reportedly secured their control of the local dam and closed the cauldron, but Ukrainian reinforcements continue counterattacks.

After they lost their bridgehead in the Glushkovsky district, the Armed Forces of Ukraine suspended their attempts to break through Russian border in this direction.

According to local reports, the Ukrainian military is accumulating new forces in the border Sumy region and another attempt to launch a large-scaled attack on the Russian territory may be expected. In their turn, Russian artillery, drones and aircraft are pounding Ukrainian reserves in the area with constant strikes.

The outgoing week has been a success for the Russian Army. Amid the Russian advance, there are more and more reports by different sources that Kiev may enter into negotiations with Moscow. The official Kiev denies any peace talks before the Russian military withdraws from all the captured areas and Kiev’s propaganda is now preparing the population for the upcoming intensification of mobilization. Various military and political officials are claiming that women and 18 years old teens should be sent to the front to bring victory.