Kurakhovo Pocket And Chasov Yar Assault: Last-Ditch Defense, And Flee With Disgrace

On November 17 and 18, groups of Russian UAVs operated in the skies over Ukraine. The Russian Aerospace Forces’ strategic aviation also conducted a combined strike against Ukrainian military and energy infrastructure facilities. At least 120 missiles were launched and about 90 UAVs were used. On the front lines, the Russian Army retains the initiative, pushing through the Ukrainian armed forces’ defenses in several directions. Kurakhovo is being semi-encircled, and heavy fighting has begun in the city. The emergency blowing up of the Kurakhovo reservoir dam by the Ukrainian armed forces did not help matters. The head of the Kiev regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, cannot muster the courage to withdraw his troops from the “Kurakhovo pocket”. Many Ukrainian military personnel, without waiting for his order to retreat, are fleeing en masse from Kurakhovo, as well as from other settlements. Battles for every house in Chasov Yar are ongoing now. Russian assault groups have broken the enemy’s defenses in the Druzhba forest, which is located south of the western part of the Kalinovka settlement. Kalinovka itself has already been turned into ruins. The city of Pokrovsk, southwest of Chasov Yar, is already preparing for its defense. The front has also come into motion in the Vremevskoye direction of Zaporizhzhia Region. Russian troops are advancing towards the populated areas of Novodovarovka and Rovnopol. In the Orekhovskoye direction, Russian troops are moving towards Novoandreyevka, north of Rabotino. In the Pokrovsk direction, Russian units continue their offensive operations, showing success in liberating key populated areas and destroying AFU defensive lines. The situation in the Kupyansk direction of the Kharkiv Region is becoming crucial. The loss of the village of Sinkovka by the Ukrainians has opened the way for Russian troops to the key logistical hub of Kupyansk. Control over this town will allow the Russian Armed Forces to strengthen their positions and improve their supply situation. In the Kursk region heavy fighting is taking place, and the Ukrainian armed forces are throwing reserves and expensive NATO armored vehicles into the battle to unblock some of their units. In the area of the Olgovsky Forest, the Ukrainians attempted to break out of the encirclement but were hit by fire. Up to 180 men were killed and 24 were taken prisoner. Russian scouts entered the village of Muravyi in the Chernihiv Region of Ukraine and raised the flag there. Due to the heavy losses of AFU personnel, Kiev is intensifying mobilization activities, reporting the need to send another 160,000 people to the front line. The successes of the Russian armed forces point to a significant weakening of the Ukrainian army, which gives Russians an opportunity to advance further.