File image.
On December 10, the Russian military reached the center of Myrnohrad as it continued operations to neutralize all Ukrainian troops besieged in the city which is located right next to Pokrovsk in Donetsk.
Troops from the Tsentr [Center] Group of Forces reached the center of Mynohard, also known as Dimitrov, after securing larges in the southern and eastern parts of the city.
An area with the size of 6.1 square kilometers, including multiple tree lines and several high-rise buildings, in the south of the city was captured by the troops, who also made gains in the eastern part of the city and captured all of Svetloye microdistrict in the western part.
Click to see full-size map.
In its daily briefing, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that the Tsentr Group of Forces neutralized “420 troops and four pickup trucks” over the 24 hours. The numbers include Ukrainian losses in Myrnohrad and a number of areas near Pokrovsk.
The ministry also shared footage showing a group of Ukrainian troops being eliminated by the 5th Separate Guards Motorised Rifle Brigade of the 51st Guards Combined Arms Army while attempting to flee from Myrnohrad.
The Tsentr Group of Forces tightened the siege on the city earlier this month after capturing Rivne and expanding its control in the area between Pokrovsk and Rodynske.
Ukraine’s top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi, speaking to Ukrainian journalists on December 9, admitted that his forces were retreating, but still refused to acknowledge the recent defeat in Pokrovsk or the fact that Myrnohrad is under siege.
“I gave an order a few days ago to withdraw our troops from about 5-7 kilometers from Pokrovsk, where they had remained,” Syrskyi said, according to Reuters.
“Rotation was no longer possible and the enemy was slipping through. There was no point in keeping them there any longer,” he added.
Myrnohrad will likely be fully captured by the Russian military within a few weeks, possibly even before the end of the year. More Ukrainian troops besieged there are surrendering to the Tsentr Group of Forces everyday, as withdrawal is no longer possible.
The looming Ukrainian defeat in Myrnohrad could cause a collapse in other defense lines in the same direction, mainly near Dobropillia. The Tsentr Group of Forces has already resumed advance towards the city.
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it has taken 4 years and 400,000 russian kia to advance in ukraine. for comparison sake it took the usa 4 years and 400,000 kia to defeat germany and japan and control all of western europe and oceania.