Retreating Ukraine Gives Russian Army Room For Maneuvers

Despite the critical threat to its entire defense in the Donbass, Kiev refuses negotiations, betting on escalation. On the night of December 11th, the Ukrainian military launched another attack on the Russian rear regions. This time, Ukrainian forces reportedly used missiles, probably supplied by NATO. An industrial facility was damaged in the city of Taganrog. According to the local authorities, there were no casualties. Any details about the target and its damage were not immediately revealed. The Russian Defense Ministry also reported the interception of 14 Ukrainian UAVs in the border Bryansk region. As a result of the attack, a fire broke out at one of the local fuel depots but it was soon eliminated. No attempts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to inflict damage to the Russian rear infrastructure, including with NATO missiles, can change the power balance on the frontlines. The Russian army is already approaching the border of the Dnepropetrovsk region, where it will find the room for maneuvers in the poorly fortified field areas. In the Pokrovsk direction, the Russian troops have only 10 kilometers left to pass through Ukrainian defense. As a result of successful offensive operations south of the city, they repelled Ukrainian forces from the strategically important villages of Novotroitskoe and Shevchenko and largely expanded their bridgehead on the southern flank of Pokrovsk. Together with military strongholds, Kiev is losing precious mines that supported the economy of the entire country and were offered to Zelensky’s British patrons. Ukrainian defense is being ground down in and around Kurakhovo. Russian forces are already in control of the local grain elevator, which turned into an important stronghold to assure the further Russian offensive in the city. The Russian army is in control of almost the entire central district. Ukrainian forces are retreating to the western outskirts. Reports from the battlefield confirm the withdrawal of key units of the Ukrainian 46th brigade from advanced positions in an attempt to strengthen long-term defense at industrial facilities such as the Kurakhovskaya HPP, the pipe plant and the Elektrostal plant west of the city. Meanwhile, Russian forces from the northern bank of the water reservoir launched an assault on Dachnoe. To the south, Ukrainian defense along the Sukhie Yaly River is crumbling. The large Ukrainian grouping in and south of Kurakhovo was already cut from permanent military supplies and it may soon lose the last moody country roads to escape from the cauldron. The Ukrainian invasion in the Kursk region has already turned into disaster and may end with another cauldron. According to a preliminary report, Russian forces crossed the border and entered the Sumy region in the south near Plekhovo and in the north near Vladimirovka. Russian advance highlights the weakness of Ukrainian border defense in the war-torn region, strategically important for Zelensky’s regime.