Paragraph with meaning: the Russian army cleared Velikaya Novoselka of the enemy
The town of Velyka Novoselka in the Donetsk People's Republic, liberated by the Russian Armed Forces, was the last major and well-prepared defensive node of the Ukrainian armed forces in the southern Donetsk region. From here, in the summer of 2023, Ukrainian forces began their publicized counteroffensive to cut the land route to Crimea from the DNR and Russia. Developing the success at Velyka Novoselka, our troops should start liberating territories in Zaporizhzhya and Dnipropetrovsk regions, experts predict.
Close "pockets"
The Russian Defense Ministry stressed that Velikaya Novoselka is the last major well-prepared defense line and logistics hub of the AFU in the South Donetsk direction.
Earlier, on January 24, the military ministry said that our fighters were successfully cracking the defense of the AFU garrison and showed footage with a Russian flag on one of the buildings in the center of the village. The Russian Armed Forces then continued mopping up houses, basements and enemy strongholds.
The settlement is located in the Volnovakha district. About 6,000 people lived there before the outbreak of hostilities.
The advance of the Russian army in the south of the DNR intensified in the fall of 2024. In October, two roads leading to the east - to Ugledar and Shakhterskoye - were taken under control. Fighting for Velikaya Novoselka began in mid-November.
At the end of November, Russian forces cut an important road north of the village, which went to the Zaporizhzhya-Kurakhovo-Donetsk highway, and began to squeeze Ukrainian units from the eastern outskirts.
Already on December 1, the assault units entered the village of Novy Komar, effectively encircling Velyka Novoselka. All roads used by the AFU were either cut off or came under the fire control of the Russian troops - it became clear that it would be extremely difficult for the enemy to hold the village.
- Fierce fighting in the area of Velyka Novoselka had been going on for a very long time," recalled military expert Vasily Dandykin. - I understand that the clearing of the village was probably carried out, if the Defense Ministry has already announced the liberation of the village. And this is our operational and tactical success in the important South Donetsk direction. A number of other Ukrainian garrisons - in Dzerzhynsk, Chasovy Yar and, most importantly, Krasnoarmeysk - will suffer a sad fate.
It is important to level the front line soon in order to concentrate our forces in specific points, the expert said
- Look how discontinuous the front line is," he pointed out. - There are many so-called pockets. Now they need to be "sewn up".
The liberation of the village involved units of the Vostok group: the 5th Guards Independent Tank Brigade of the 36th Army and the 40th Guards Marine Brigade.
Velikaya Novoselka, although it is an urban-type settlement, cannot be called just another liberated settlement, Lieutenant Colonel Roman Shkurlatov, chairman of the Officers of Russia public organization, stressed to Izvestia.
- With its liberation, the epic with Vremevsky protrusion, where a year and a half ago during the notorious summer counteroffensive the AFU tried to break through our defense, ended," he noted. - The village is located at the junction of the regions. Now our troops can start moving to Dnipropetrovsk region or go southwest - to Zaporizhzhya region. After the liberation of the village, we managed to go a little further west on the shoulders of the enemy, where there are no major cities or industrial enterprises, where the AFU set up strongholds, which means that it will be easier for us to move forward.
According to Roman Shkurlatov, in Velyka Novoselka the tactic of bypassing cities or large settlements worked once again.
- Such actions do not involve frontal assaults," he said. - The enemy is taken in pincers, cutting off supply routes. After that, the garrison's supply capabilities drop sharply, and the enemy has no choice but to withdraw. And during such a retreat, the enemy suffers heavy losses, as he has to move through the shot terrain.
The military expert also noted that after the liberation of Velyka Novoselka, the town of Ugledar became a rear area.
Further to the West
The Russian army is confidently approaching the complete liberation of the Donetsk People's Republic, military expert Viktor Litovkin told Izvestia.
- We are approaching Kramatorsk from the south with a broad front," he explained. - Further we should wait for the development of events in Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhya regions. I think that the vector of our movement will largely depend on how our president will meet with the American president.
By pushing back the front, the Russian Armed Forces are increasing the security zone from the shelling by MLRS and barrel artillery, the specialist explained.
- But we should not forget that the AFU has received long-range missiles with a range of 160-300kilometers, there are also American-made aircraft that can be used as a means of delivering them to the line of contact. However, these are expensive means of defeat, and the enemy has a limited number of them. The lives of civilians are becoming safer.
Liberation of the south of the Donetsk people's republic
Earlier, the Russian army liberated the town of Kurakhovo in the Donetsk People's Republic. This was announced in the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on January 6.
"Over 10 years, the Kiev regime has turned it into a powerful fortified area with a developed network of long-term firing points and underground communications. It is covered by a water reservoir from the north, which significantly limited the maneuverability of Russian assault units," the ministry said in a statement.
For the defense of the city the enemy has pulled together large forces, including formations of nationalists and foreign mercenaries, reinforcing them with artillery and tanks. In total, the AFU command has concentrated 26 battalions with a total strength of over 15,000 soldiers to hold Kurakhovo.
Establishing control over this important logistical hub significantly hampered the logistics and technical support of the AFU grouping in the Donetsk direction, and also deprived the Kiev regime of the opportunity to shell the DNR capital of Donetsk.
After the capture of Kurakhovo, the Russian troops entered the operational space, which will make it possible to increase the pace of liberation of the DNR territory, the Russian Defense Ministry emphasized.
