Russian troops made breakthroughs across open rural areas in several parts of the southern Zaporizhzhya region. An officer of Ukraine’s State Security Service told CNN that the situation on the ground is extremely tense.
According to him, the Russian side is trying to improve its negotiating position by occupying additional territories.
According to the officer known by the military nickname Bankir, Russian forces often use small infantry groups that try to find weakly defended routes and break into vulnerable positions.
The most intense fighting is taking place in and around the city of Huljajpolje, located about 80 kilometers east of Zaporozhye, a regional center that had more than 700,000 inhabitants before the war.
At a recent meeting attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Russian commander for the area, Andrei Ivanaev, claimed that Hulyajpolje had been taken.
He stated that since the beginning of December, Russian forces have taken control of more than 210 square kilometers in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporozhye regions, which fits with the Kremlin’s claims about the goal of complete control of four eastern and southern regions of Ukraine.
On the other hand, the Ukrainian analytical project Deepstate announced that Ukrainian units still hold certain positions in Hulyajpolje, but that this is an area that is currently considered a gray zone due to significantly greater Russian numerical superiority.
Due to a shortage of infantry, Ukrainian forces are increasingly relying on drones, especially in open terrain where they are effective in disrupting Russian units.
However, populated areas with abandoned buildings and basements provide Russian forces with additional protection during their advance.
Last week, a video surfaced showing Russian soldiers at the occupied Ukrainian command post in Hulyajpolje, where they are inspecting seized documents and equipment.
(Vijesti.ba)
