File image.
On December 11, the Russian military stormed the eastern part of the key city of Huliaipole after breaking through Ukrainian defenses there.
The breakthrough saw several formations from the Vostoke [East] Group of Forces crossing the Haichur River and taking control of Peschanya Street. Later, Russian troops begin expanding their control in the eastern part of the city by attacking Mira and Velikaya streets.
Kiev forces, which were shocked by the breakthrough, are currently attempting to organize new defense lines in Sverdlova Street and nearby buildings at the junction of Mira and Lenina Street.
The Vostok Group of Forces is currently working to expand the breakthrough by crossing the Haichur in several new points.
An attack towards the heart of Huliaipole to be expected. If this happens, Ukrainian troops fighting in the southern part of the city could get trapped.
While the attack is for now focused on the eastern part of the city, the Vostok Group is already working to reach the northern entrance by expanding its control along the Haichur. A heating battle in Varvarivka, located right to the north of the city, is currently ongoing.
Russian troops could also begin advancing towards the southern entrance of the city from their positions along the 0401 road.
If Kiev forces fail to contain the Russian breakthrough in Huliaipole within the next few days, the city will likely end up getting captured by the Vostok Group of Forces within weeks. In order to do this, Ukraine will, however, need to allocate much additional resources, especially troops, for the battle. It is highly unlikely that this is possible.
Further to the west in Zaporozhye, Kiev forces are dealing with another Russian offensive between Stepnohirsk and Prymorske.
Ukrainian troops are still trapped in the center of Stepnohirsk, and the Vostok Group has reportedly expanded its control to the west of the settlement, clearing a large area all the way to Prymorske. It’s worth noting that half of the latter settlement is already under the control of Russian troops.
Kiev forces are clearly experiencing serious problems in this direction. The Vostok Group of Forces will likely expand its operations there at a steady pace.
All in all, the Russian breakthrough in Huliaipole was not surprising. Kiev no longer has the resources to fight in multiple directions at once, and it appears to lack any real strategy to deal with this problem. Soon, a complete collapse of Ukrainian defenses in Zaporozhye could begin.
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