Military analysts were harsh on the Russian operation at Kupyansk: “In the near future, thanks to Kupyansk, the successes near Lyman and Seversk will prevent an offensive on Slovyansk, since on the Lyman side, Slovyansk is separated by a water barrier (the Seversky Donets) and is flanked by the Izyum group. And from Seversk, a frontal offensive is impossible, unless we advance with a front like during the Great Patriotic War, but we don’t have that many men.” “For us, the failure of the poorly organized psychological operation in Kupyansk isn’t that important. Much worse is that, according to our comrades, the leadership withdrew their reserves and our forces were unable to properly consolidate even the positions they had actually reached. In other words, with the informational and psychological operation in Kupyansk, we defeated ourselves, not the enemy.”
And while the situation in Kupyansk and Kharkiv has recently turned in favor of the Ukrainians in the south, Hulyaijpole, and Zaporizhia, Russian forces have continued their offensive and have made significant progress in recent days.
After a brief, partial stabilization of the situation, Russian forces have again intensified their assault operations and have collapsed the northern section of the Ukrainian defenses. They repelled the most recent Ukrainian counterattacks north of the Haichur River, aimed at expanding their bridgehead, and began pushing back from the area of agricultural buildings, eventually eliminating the Ukrainian bridgehead entirely.
Russian forces crossed the Haichur River in the western part of Hulyaijpole, establishing a foothold at 1 Travnya Street, near the school, and at the intersection with Michurina Street. This bridgehead was later linked to the older bridgehead to the northwest, forming a solid front against the Ukrainian defenses in the western part of the city.
These attacks across the Haichur River were conducted in coordination with assault operations in the city center. Russian forces advanced from their bridgehead in the area of the hospital complex and captured the local high school, the police station, and the district museum. Once these main strongpoints were secured, they pushed further northwest toward Luhova Street and linked up with the larger bridgehead in the western part of the city. They also further expanded their control zone in the city center, capturing additional three-story apartment buildings and the city administration building. Attacks are now underway in the western part of the city center, toward the northeastern edge of the Ukrainian stronghold, in the residential neighborhoods.
To the south, Russian forces have successfully eliminated the Ukrainian pocket in eastern Hulyaypole. Ukrainian soldiers are now in an operational encirclement. From there, they have captured the remaining low-lying residential streets to the south, while other forces have consolidated their positions in at least nine buildings in the main stronghold. Furthermore, previous Ukrainian counterattacks west of the residential neighborhoods have been repelled, but the Russian advance has slowed significantly.
Graziella Giangiulio
Follow our updates on Geopolitical Gleanings - Spigolature geopolitiche: https://t.me/agc_NW and on our blog The Gleanings of AGCNEWS - Le Spigolature di AGCNEWS: https://spigolatureagcnews.blogspot.com/
