File image.
On November 22, the collapse of Ukrainian defenses along the Haichur River began with a push by the Russian military from Dnepropetrovsk towards the city of Huliapole in Zaporozhye to the south.
Advancing along the river from Radisne in Dnepropetrovsk, the Vostok [East] Group of Forces imposed control of Nove Zaporizhzhya. The capture of the settlement was confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Defense, which said that the attack was led by the 37th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 36th Guards Combined Arms Army.
“Acting under dense fire and the constant threat of UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) strikes, the assault detachments expanded the control area along the Gaychur River in an area of more than 9 kilometers on the front line,” the ministry said in a statement.
“After liberation of Novoye Zaporozhye, the Vostok Group of Forces completed the task to gain control over the right bank of the Gaychur River at the boundary line between Zaporozhye and Dnepropetrovsk regions,” it continued.
“A large area of the enemy’s defense of more than 14 square kilometers was taken under control,” it added.
Kiev forces lost a large number of manpower and more than 15 units of various military hardware while attempting to hold onto their positions in Nove Zaporizhzhya.
The capture of the settlement paves the way for a further push south along the Haichur towards Huliapole. The next stop will be Dobropillya. The Vostok Group of Forces is already advancing towards the settlement and will likely capture it within a few days.
While Russian troops are advancing with notable speed towards Huliapole from the north, operations to the east of the city are going even faster amid a complete collapse in Ukrainian defenses.
After capturing Vesele a few days earlier, the Vostok Group of Forces stormed both Zelenyi Hai and Zatyshshya. Mopping-up operations are reportedly taking place in both settlements. Russian troops also stormed Vysoke and are reportedly close to securing it.
Once these three settlements are captured, Russian troops will be right on the eastern outskirts of Huliapole. Thus, the battle inside the city could start before the end of the month.
The catastrophic collapse of Ukrainian defenses around Huliapole is not surprising at all. Kiev no longer has the resources to fight on multiple fronts, and it has been giving priority to the battle in the key city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk, which is also losing.
The situation developing in the direction of Huliapole may be just the beginning of a much wider collapse. Such a collapse could begin within a few months.
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