Ladies and gents, we have our first complete major encirclement in the #Donbass. Not only long awaited but very hard fought, the UA regime, desperate to show the western powers that with support, it can in fact win, used (or abused) its troops to hold the salient to the maximum.
https://twitter.com/ZimermanErik/status/1536917502030225409
We are talking about the Hirske - Zolote cauldron, the southern part of the larger Lysychask salient. UA forces did not retreat from the cauldron until the very last possible moments. The best combat ready units have in the last day or two, withdrawn but other units remain in
their positions. We will look at evidence of this, but first let us note that what occurred, while UA sources still do not admit the loss of #Vrubivka (the key point for this maneuver), is the seizure of the Lokutivka - Rai-Oleksandrivka - Pidlisne complex along with Myrna Dolyna
as we discussed previously:
The heatmap history tells us how about 65 hours ago, RU strikes prepared for the advance across the highway from the west into Myrna Dolyna & overwhelmed final entrenched UA positions north of Vrubivka. This was all possible
https://twitter.com/ZimermanErik/status/1536917546997260289
The heatmap history tells us how about 65 hours ago, RU strikes prepared for the advance across the highway from the west into Myrna Dolyna & overwhelmed final entrenched UA positions north of Vrubivka. This was all possible
once the final NW quarter of Toshkivka was captured around the same time. We see the last strikes there around 50 hours ago. We discussed this densely built up & strongly defended area that fought very stubbornly against RU attacks including Chechen special forces. While they
had advanced speedily across Nyzhnie & the rest of Toshkivka very fast (after being redeployed from the battle at Mariupol), this quarter managed to hold them up for a long time. Once it was finally taken, the Lysychansk Hirske road was easily secured, and the way to Myrna Dolyna
wide open. Here were see strikes moving westwards from Molyna Dolyna to Pidlisne & the fighting at NW Toshkivka which was finally secured by RU forces. The most recent data, shows strikes 13 hours ago moving further west to the last town Rai-Oleksandrivka, its capture completely
finishing the Hirske - Zolote encirclement. We also see shelling and strikes moving rapidly northwards towards Lysychansk with fighting at Bila Hora, and massive strikes (and fires) at the large refinery at Verkhnokamianka, which we updated on earlier. Obviously in this fast
advance we see signs of collapse and/or withdrawal as the stubborn Ukrainian defense in this region substantially slackened quite suddenly. The collapse of this subsection of the salient will free up RU forces to finish off the larger section and secure rail supply lines through
Zolote to the region. As we discussed earlier, Vrubivka sealed the fate of the Hirske sub-salient, and the Hirske subsalient seals the fate of the larger Lysychansk - Severodonetsk salient. Large UA forces still hold the northern line at the Siverskyi river, and UA may do well to
rush them south to stop further advances by the southern Popasna forces. However, this will leave that front open to the long awaited Russian crossing, which has failed until now. Either way, these forces are facing advances from both sides which they can no longer stop, and face
the choice of withdrawal to the Bakhmut or Slovyansk line, or face encirclement. This is the size of the current encirclement. Note most maps have not even acknowledged the UA loss of Vrubivka. In the next post, I will show additional video evidence which has surfaced.
The #Ukrainian forces have fought very hard to prevent this encirclement. Their government has mostly refused to let them retreat to tactically more favorable ground. Their efforts do not go unnoticed. We salute the tenacity, professionalism, and courage of the #Russian soldiers
who against strong odds, a more numerous, and very well fortified enemy, supported by western powers with funds, intelligence and modern weapons systems, continue to not only hold the lines, through winter snows and summer heat, but continuously advance and overwhelm their foes.
Since Mariupol we are to witness the fruits of their labor in their largest victory yet.
#RussiaUkraineWar #Ukraine #Ukraine️war
#RussiaUkraineWar #Ukraine #Ukraine️war
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