GRINDING UKRAINIAN OFFENSIVE, RUSSIAN MILITARY ADVANCES IN VARIOUS DIRECTIONS

The frontlines in Ukraine are still inflamed by heavy battles but none of the warring sides can boast of any significant victories. Since Kiev’s counteroffensive has so far resulted only in minor advances and the exhaustion of Ukrainian units, the Russian military has gained the military initiative on several fronts. Over the past week, Ukrainian forces resumed operations on the islands in the delta of the Dnieper River. They have recently gained some small strongholds in the area that is mainly in the grey zone. They continue unsuccessful attempts to expand their zone of control under the dense fire of Russian artillery and strikes by Russian avation. Several Ukrainian groups were recently destroyed on the Kazatsky and Aleshkinsky islands. In order to prevent the Ukrainian military from transferring reserves to the Kherson region, Russian bombs are also pounding the western bank of the Dnieper. Since the main Ukrainian forces armed with advanced NATO weapons failed to break through Russian defenses in the Zaporozhie region, the Ukrainian military may attempt a ground operation in the Kherson region in order to break towards the Crimean Peninsula. Such a breakthrough across the shallow river and further advance in the steppes may become the last hope for the Kiev regime. It would inevitably lead to horrific losses in manpower; but the ongoing hostilities have already proved that the lives of hundreds of servicemen are not a high price to pay for Kiev and NATO. Meanwhile, exhausted Ukrainian units took another pause on the Zaporozhie front. Since early September, Ukrainian forces have been struggling to advance east of Velikaya Novoselka, near Novomayorskoe but failed to achieve any gains and were forced to go onto the defense. After that, the grouping south of Orekhov, which had gained some time to regroup, resumed major attacks along the Rabotino-Verbovoe line. After several days, their fervor dried up. Having achieved no gains, they began another rotation of their units. Launching no large attacks, the Ukrainian military conducts some combat reconnaissance missions and small assaults amid the ongoing artillery duels. In their turn, Russian forces are increasing artillery shelling and airstrikes restraining any Ukrainian maneuvers along the entire southern front. In the Donetsk direction, the Russian Army launched a successful offensive near the town of Opytnoe and took control of several more Ukrainian strongholds. The recent Ukrainian attempts to enter the settlement were repelled and Russians are already launching counterattacks, expanding their zone of their control in the area. While Ukrainian forces are still fighting for control of Klescheevka and Andreevka south of Artemovsk, Russian paratroopers launched an attack on the town of Orekhovo-Vasilievka. After breaking the assault, they took control of the settlement and are currently mopping up the area. The Ukrainian command is forced to transfer additional forces from other directions in order to attempt further counterattacks.