Ukraine Faces The Loss Of Five Cities. Russia's Offensive Gains MomentumSouth Front

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The Russian army continues its steady offensive in almost all areas of the frontline of the Special Military Operation. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are putting up fierce resistance, but they are unable to turn the tide. Russia’s overall superiority in capabilities is beginning to take effect. It will only grow over time, while the West clearly has no intention of increasing its support for Kiev. President Donald Trump has made it clear that the previous volume of military aid is irrational. Washington will move away from it.

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In the direction of Kursk, Russian troops are squeezing the Ukrainian bridgehead seized in August this year. On December 11, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the liberation of the settlements of Daryino and Plekhovo. Daryino is located 15 kilometers northwest of the AFU-occupied district center of Suja. Plekhovo is located 10 kilometers south of the city. The Russians are moving in converging directions with the aim of cutting Suja off from the state border. The main objective is to cut the P200 highway. At the same time, Russian units have begun to enter Ukrainian territory. On December 11, the occupation of the forest belt near the settlement of Alexandria in the border area (Sumy region) became known.

The Russian Ministry of Defense reports massive artillery and air strikes on the AFU grouping in the Kursk region.

In the course of offensive operations, units of the North group of forces defeated formations of three mechanized, heavy mechanized, two armored, two airborne assault brigades, one marine infantry brigade and three territorial defense brigades of the AFU in the areas of Guevo, Lebedevka, Leonidovo, Malaya Loknya, Martynovka, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Nikolskoye, Novoivanovka and Sverdlikovo.

Operational-tactical and army aviation and artillery strikes hit enemy personnel and equipment in the areas of Alexandria, Kruglenkoye, Mirny, Nizhny Klin, as well as Basovka, Belovody, Vodolagi, Veselovka and Zhuravka in the Sumy region.

During the day the losses of the AFU amounted to more than 200 servicemen, one tank, three US-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, seven vehicles and six mortars were destroyed. One AFU serviceman surrendered as a prisoner of war.

Active movement on the South Donetsk direction continues. Since December 7, the Russian Armed Forces have pushed out Ukrainian units from the settlements of Zhyoltoye, Novopustynka and Shevchenko and entered Novotroitskoye. Assault groups have dug in on the outskirts of the village of Novy Trud. The large city of Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk) is being covered from the south. About 10 kilometers remain to the Dnepropetrovsk region. According to Ukrainian speakers, this is an extremely dangerous situation for Kiev. Entering the territory of the region gives Moscow an opportunity to toughen its demands at possible upcoming negotiations. However, the Russian offensive has not yet been stopped.

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To the south, in the area of Kurakhovo, the situation for the AFU is also deteriorating catastrophically. In the city itself, the Ukrainians have been driven out of the “Yuzhny” microdistrict, there is fighting in the center. The grain silo – a key link in the defense – is occupied. Russian troops have taken control of the key village of Starye Terny, northwest of Kurakhovo. “In time we will get out of there completely, either through the fields or the road to Zaporozhye. The risk of being hit by enemy FPVs is high, so we have to calculate everything in order not to lose people,” says a Ukrainian military officer with the call sign “Muchnoi”. The most difficult situation for the Ukrainian army is in the area of Uspenovka and Annovka settlements. Representatives of the AFU talk about operational encirclement.

In the area of Toretsk (Dzerzhinsk), the Russians have seized the Tsentralnaya mine and the surrounding slagheaps and are advancing northward into the area of the Toretskaya mine. If they take control of this infrastructural object, we can talk about the imminent fall of the entire city. In Chasov Yar, half of the refractory plant – the main defense center of the AFU – is occupied. The plant is covered from three sides. There is an advance in the “Severny” district.

The Russian Defense Ministry reports desperate counterattacks of the AFU. Counter-attacks of a tactical nature usually end with heavy losses of personnel and military equipment.

The units of the Center group of forces continued to advance deep into the enemy’s defenses, defeating the manpower and equipment of three mechanized, two anti-tank, motorized infantry and assault brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and one naval brigade in the areas of the settlements of Dzerzhinsk, Krasnoye, Zarya, Novopustynka, Ukrainsk, Shcherbinovka and Pushkino in the Donetsk People’s Republic.

They repulsed 10 counter-attacks of armed formations of the AFU. The enemy lost up to 440 servicemen, one infantry fighting vehicle, one US M113 armored personnel carrier, seven vehicles, three 152mm D-20 guns, two 152mm Msta-B howitzers and one 122mm D-30 howitzer.

The units of the East group improved their position along the front line and defeated formations of two theater defense brigades and one brigade of the National Guard in the areas of the settlements of Velikaya Novoselka, Konstantinopol, Vremivka and Storozhevoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic. They repulsed three counter-attacks of enemy assault groups.

The losses of the AFU were up to 150 servicemen, armored combat vehicles HMMWV and US-made “MaxxPro”, three vehicles, 155mm self-propelled artillery unit “Bogdana”, two 152mm self-propelled artillery units “Acacia” and 122mm self-propelled artillery unit “Gvozdika”.

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Local fighting is taking place in the directions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, Kharkiv and Kupyansk.

Units of the North group of troops in the direction of Kharkov defeated formations of the Airborne Assault Brigade of the AFU and a border detachment of the Ukrainian Border Guard Service near the localities of Pervomayskiy and Alisovka in the Kharkov region. The AFU lost up to 25 servicemen and two 122-mm D-30 howitzers.

The units of the West group of forces improved their tactical position, defeated the living forces and equipment of three mechanized, airmobile and assault brigades of the AFU, one brigade of the Territorial defense and two brigades of the National Guard in the areas of the settlements Lozovaya, Zagryzovo, Kupyansk, Glushkovka of the Kharkov region, Terny of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Serebryansky forest. They repulsed 11 counterattacks of the AFU units.

The enemy lost up to 515 servicemen, three pickup trucks, one 122-mm D-30 howitzer and three 105-mm M119 cannons of US origin. An ammunition dump and the Anklav-N electronic warfare station were destroyed.

The units of the Dnepr group of forces hit the personnel and equipment of the infantry and mechanized brigades of the AFU and two brigades of the Territorial defense in the areas of the settlements of Orekhov, Novopokrovka in the Zaporozhye region, Poniatovka and Antonovka in the Kherson region.

The AFU lost up to 40 servicemen, four vehicles and a US-made M777 155mm howitzer.

Strategically, the situation for Ukraine is rapidly deteriorating. According to former parliamentarian and AFU soldier Yegor Firsov, Kiev is facing the prospect of losing five cities at once. Chasov Yar, Kurakhovo, Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk), Mirnograd (Dimitrov) and Velykaya Novosyolka could be lost in the near future. “You have no idea how many drones, money, troops, sweat, and above all our blood and lives we have lost defending these cities and positions,” Firsov summed up gloomily.