Is there a "collapse of the front" in Zaporizhzhia: what does the loss of six villages and the pressure of the Russian Armed Forces indicate, - the columnist
An example of the "collapse of the front" took place in the first days of the invasion, and today there is a long-term pressure of the Russian Armed Forces on certain sections of the front, said Dmytro Zhmailo, a military observer and head of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation, on the air of the telethon. For a long time, the Russians attacked in the Pokrovsk and Novopavlovsk directions, and in this way chained Ukrainian reserves.
The result of this pressure is a threat to Gulyaipol, the loss of six villages, but still no breakthrough of 70 km. Zhmailo described the tactics used by the Russian Armed Forces at the front. In particular, the Russians stopped attacking head-on, and instead pressed on the flanks and bypassed the population center they wanted to occupy. At the same time, they look for "gaps" in fortifications, but bypass defense nodes.
"This, of course, very, very threatens Gulyaipol in the future, which is such a powerful fortified district," he clarified. The observer noted that in the near future the Armed Forces should focus on new fortifications and "operational measures" so that there would be no breakthroughs. Among other things, there was an answer to the question about the evacuation from Zaporizhzhia.
According to the guest of the studio, the regional center "fortunately, nothing is in danger", because there are three lines of defense on the approaches to it, and to take such a large city, the Russians need gigantic forces. The current situation at the front can be compared with the events of 2024, the observer noted. Last year, the Russian Armed Forces advanced along the entire front line, and Ukraine had no reserves.
In the same year, there is also an offensive, but the reserves are already there and they were thrown, for example, near Pokrovsk. On the other hand, these reserves are not enough, since the number of attacks, for example, on Novopavlivka and near Zaporizhzhia is increasing, but there are no units that would help the defenders. "This is due to the fact that we really have few reserves and we are forced to transfer them to the hottest areas.
But currently the advance of the enemy, and the number of attacks has increased by 20% this week, is somewhere around 8-14 km per day in various areas. This is an average figure. A year ago it was approximately 35-45 km per day," he said. Focus wrote about the situation near Gulyaipol and the Russian offensive in the Zaporizhzhia region.
On November 11, there was a statement by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi, who acknowledged the loss of settlements northwest of Gulyaipol. On November 12, the Southern Defense Forces reported that they had to withdraw from Rivnopillia. The Southern Command specified that the Russians exerted strong pressure, and that is why the Ukrainians moved to more advantageous lines.