File image.
On December 28, the Russian military expanded its control around the key city of Huliapole and near the settlement of Stepnohirsk, keeping the pressure on Kiev forces in Zaporizhzhia.
The Vostok [East] Group of Forces advanced west and south of Huliapole, which was captured a day earlier. Russian troops secured a total of 4,4 square kilometers. This rapid advance shows that Ukrainian troops have not recovered from the defeat they took in the city.
To the north of Huliapole, the Vostok Group of Forces expanded its control and stormed Zelene, which is located on the left bank of the Haichur River.
The settlement has been already captured in full by Russian troops, according to preliminary reports. The Russian Ministry of Defense is yet to confirm this, however.
The Ukrainian defeat in Huliapole came faster than expected. Kiev forces were overwhelmed by Russian air and artillery strikes, and the drone units of the Vostok Group of Forces restricted their movements. Now, these same means are working on the areas still under Ukrainian control to the west of the city and along the left bank of the Haichur.
To the west in Zaporizhzhia, the Vostok Group of Forces is advancing faster than before, mainly around Stepnohirsk which was also captured a day earlier.
Russian troops advanced to the north and west of the large settlement, as well as to the west of the Ukrainian-controlled Lukyanovskoe which is located nearby. The troops secured 5.7 square kilometers in these three areas, all while inflicting losses on Kiev forces.
All in all it looks like that the Vostok Group of Forces is working to capture both Lukyanovskoe, and Prymorske, which is located to the east of Stepnohirsk, at the same time.
Just a few days before Russia took control of Huliapole and Stepnohirsk, Ukraine deployed large reinforcements near the two urban centers, including multiple assault formations from its own forces and mercenary groups. Still, it failed to change the situation.
Kiv forces took heavy losses, including Vitaliy Medushevsky, a prominent sniper who served in the ranks of the Territorial Defense Forces, and Denis Kapustin, the neo-Nazi leader of the so-called Russian Volunteer Corps mercenary group that is designated by Moscow as a terrorist organization.
Taking into account that it is highly unlikely that Ukraine can allocate more resources to Zaporizhzhia, and that the Vostok Group of Forces is still advancing, it is safe to assume that we could soon see a major Ukrainian collapse within the region.
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