File image.
On December 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed during a high-level meeting that the Russian military had captured Myrnohrad in Donetsk and Huliaipole in Zaporozhye. The loss of these two key cities before the end of the year represents a double blow to Ukraine.
“The Supreme Commander-in-Chief received a report by Chief of the General Staff of Russia’s Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov,” the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
“In addition, the commanders of the Tsentr [Centre] and Vosotok [East] forces, as well as unit commanders reported on the progress of their missions, announcing in particular the liberation of the towns of Dimitrov, Donetsk People’s Republic and Gulyaipole, Zaporozhye Region,” it added, referring to the two cities by their Russian names.
The capture of both Myrnohrad and Huliaipole was confirmed via videos released by the Russian MoD and other media sources.
According to the ministry, Myrnohrad, which had been under siege for a while, was completely cleared by the 5th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade of the 51st Guards Combined Arms Army of the Tsentr Group of Forces.
“Assault units of the 5th Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, supported by drone systems of the troop group, dislodged the enemy from buildings and structures, which Ukrainian militants used as shelters and unsuccessfully tried to equip as firing positions to hold their positions,” the ministry said in a statement.
“Fleeing the battlefield and unwilling to surrender, scattered groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed by artillery fire and strike FPV drone crews,” the ministry added.
It is unclear yet how many Ukrainian troops were captured in Myrnohrad, but the number could very well be in the hundreds.
In addition to capturing the city, the Tsentr Group of Forces cleared the nearby settlements of Rodynske, and Artemivka. Putin was also informed of this during the meeting.
Meanwhile Huliaipole was captured by multiple formations, including the 57th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, 60th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, 114th Motorized Rifle Regiment – of the 127th Division -, 127th Motor Rifle Division, and the 38th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade.
Ukrainian losses during the battle in the city amounted to a battalion of troops, mainly from the 102nd Motor Rifle Brigade, as well as from the 33rd, 225th, and 425th Motor Rifle Brigades, along with more than 50 military vehicles.
Huliaipole was not Ukraine’s only loss in Zaporizhzhia. Putin was also told during the meeting that Stepnogorsk was captured by the Vostok Group of Forces.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov later congratulated the troops of the 247th Guards Air Assault Regiment on the “liberation” of Stepnogorsk.
“In stubborn battles with the enemy in Orekhov direction, the soldiers show examples of bravery and courage, eliminating neo-Nazis on these territories,” the minister said in a statement posted to Telegram.
The capture of Myrnohrad, Huliaipole and the other settlements was not expected to happen this fast. These defeats show that Kiev forces are not just retreating, but also losing their combat capabilities and getting weaker by the day. Kiev is yet to accept this reality, however.
Putin said during the meeting that Russia could see that Ukraine was in no hurry to end the conflict by peaceful means, warning that if Kiev did not want to resolve the conflict peacefully then Moscow would accomplish all goals of its “special military operation” by force.
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double blow to my nazi anuz in americunt gay bar last night
it all looks great. the capture of the slaviansk-kramatorsk-konstantinova conurbation finishes zelensky and company in donbass, followed by victory in zaporizhzhia and kherson regions then leads to the big ticket offensive all the way to kiev.