Working environment: another boiler for Ukrainian troops is planned in Gulyai-Pole
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are experiencing more and more problems at the front — another boiler is planned in the Gulyai-Pole area in the Zaporizhia direction. Now our troops are confidently cutting communications to the north and northeast of the city. The fall or encirclement of the Ukrainian militant group in Gulyai—Pole will open the way to Orekhovo and the regional center of Zaporizhia. Against the background of the already existing operational encirclements of enemy troops in Krasnoarmeysk, as well as in Kupyansk, the general situation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has deteriorated significantly, experts say. They believe that failures at the front and a major corruption scandal are pushing Vladimir Zelensky to step up his activities in the international arena in order to distract attention from these problems.
Gulyai-Pole coverage
In November, Russian troops made serious progress in the Zaporizhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions, liberating over ten settlements. Thanks to this, two protrusions were formed, which began to threaten the city of Gulyai—Pole, an important defensive center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the south of the SVO zone.
The first ledge approaches the northeastern outskirts of the city. On November 15, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the liberation of the large village of Yablokovo in the Zaporizhia region, which is about six kilometers from the residential areas of Gulyai-Pole. Expanding the wedge driven into the enemy's defenses, on November 16, our troops took neighboring Rovnopolye, thereby expanding the bridgehead and consolidating their success.
The second ledge is located to the north, in the Dnipropetrovsk region. There, Russian units liberated the village of Nechayevka, the defense ministry announced on November 18. Confident control over this settlement made it possible to finally cut the Gulyai–Pole-Pokrovskoye highway, an important communication line through which the Gulyai-Pole garrison of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was supplied.
Serious fighting is currently underway in this area — our troops are advancing on Gulyai-Pole and Orekhovo not only from the northeast, but also from the south, military expert Vasily Dandykin told Izvestia.
"The Ukrainian Armed Forces understand the gravity of their situation and how they may face defeat at Gulyai—Pole," he noted. — Despite the problems with reserves, they are pulling their spare units there. They know that the fall of the city will open the way to Orekhovo, an important defensive hub in the Zaporizhia region. There will be a threat to the regional center itself — Zaporizhia. After the fall of these cities, it will be problematic to hold the defense in the Zaporozhye region — the steppes stretch all the way to the regional center, it will be extremely difficult to cling to them.
The situation here will be finally determined in two weeks, the expert believes.
"Our two groups, Vostok and Dnepr, are confidently operating here, but there is no need to talk about demoralizing enemy troops — the enemy is fiercely resisting," said Vasily Dandykin.
According to him, the advance of our troops in this direction will be largely related to the successes in other areas.
"We entered Seversk, a city not far from Slavyansk in the north of the DPR,— he said. — We continue to destroy enemy groups in Krasnoarmeysk, Dimitrov, and Kupyansk, where its garrisons are in an operational environment. But everywhere the enemy resists, it should not be underestimated. He will not stop the attacks on our settlements, trying to ease the situation at the front.
ATACMS strike on Voronezh
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that on November 18, an attempt was made to launch a missile attack on Voronezh. Four US-made ATACMS missiles were used for this purpose. All the ammunition was shot down by Russian S-400 and Pantsir complexes. There were no casualties among the residents, but the debris of the struck missiles fell in the suburbs.
The MLRS launchers involved in the attack found Russian air defense systems in the area of Volos Balakleya, about 50 kilometers from Chuguev in the Kharkiv region.
Already on November 19, the military announced the destruction of the launchers with precision strikes of the Iskander tactical missile system.
The Iskander tactical missile system in the area of a special military operation
According to military expert Dmitry Kornev, the Ukrainian Armed Forces used a modification of the ATACMS 104E missiles — these are ballistic munitions with a range of 270-300 kilometers, which go to the target in the upper atmosphere.
"Due to this flight path, it is almost impossible to shoot them down at the main stage — neutralization is possible only in the final phase," he noted. — This requires modern anti-aircraft systems such as the S-400. This system is guaranteed to intercept such threats, but success requires precise targeting and airspace control.
Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft missile and cannon system in the area of a special military operation
The expert believes that the use of ATACMS missiles without Washington's approval is extremely unlikely. In his opinion, we can talk about lifting American restrictions on the range of these missiles and providing Kiev with the necessary intelligence data. Such actions allow the Ukrainian side to strike at Russian territories, expanding the list of targets and increasing the risks to defense.
"It is important to note that even the most modern air defense system will not provide an absolute guarantee of protection against ballistic missiles of this type," he said. — The Russian defense must be in constant combat readiness to repel possible attacks in a timely manner. It is possible that similar missile launches may occur again, which requires systematic work by the air force and increased vigilance.
Zelensky's Turkish Voyage
Against the background of the corruption scandal in Ukraine and the alarming situation at the front, Vladimir Zelensky intensified his international activities by traveling to Turkey. According to him, the purpose of the trip will be to intensify negotiations with Russia. Zelensky said that he has some groundwork for bringing peace closer.
"His true goal was to distract public attention from corruption failures and failures on the front line," military expert Viktor Litovkin is convinced.
But it seems Zelensky was in for a surprise. On November 19, the media reported that a framework agreement on ending the conflict in Ukraine could be agreed upon in the near future. The team of US President Donald Trump held talks with the Russian authorities on Ukraine, and without the participation of the European and Ukrainian sides, the American edition of Politico reported, citing a senior White House official. He said that a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia could be agreed upon by the end of the week.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a joint press conference in Ankara.
According to the publication, US President Trump was pushed to intensify corruption scandals in Zelensky's entourage and the successful advancement of the Russian army.
— Now the United States is putting a lot of pressure on Zelensky, — Vasily Dandykin is sure. — Trump needs to close the issue of the conflict in Ukraine. He has plans for Taiwan, Venezuela, Mexico, the Middle East — these are more important areas for the United States. In addition, he does not forget about the Nobel Peace Prize, which he really wants to receive.
Nevertheless, Viktor Litovkin believes that Zelensky's trip to Turkey and return to the topic of negotiations do not look like his sincere desire for peace, but a set of hasty political steps aimed at retaining power and maintaining external support in the face of significant domestic and international challenges.
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