Clément Molin Profile picture
Nov 15 16 tweets 6 min read Read on X
The operational situation for the ukrainian 🇺🇦 army is getting increasingy more difficult

After losing most of Pokrovsk, Ukraine is facing an accelerated advance towards Zaporizhzhia in the south.

Russia 🇷🇺 is pushing everywhere at a faster pace.

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Weeks from today, I was posting this showing that Russia was pushing to Zaporizhia and that the city may be threathened next year.

I wasn't wrong, Russia not only continued to push but made it faster, threatening Hulialpole, one of the main stronghold. Image
After crossing the Uspenivka-Poltavka line in only few days, the russian army is getting in sight of the Pokrovsk'e-Ternuvate-Hulialpole line.

They already reached the main road and may go around Hulialpole, an old stronghold of the southern front. Image
The situation on the Vovocha river is not better. If for 3 months at least, Ukraine have held, a mechanized assault using the fog to hide managed to enter half of Novopavlivka.

At the same time, the fall of Orestopil and the pression into Ivanivka raise fears of a crossing. Image
Ukraine still has an advantage, it holds the high ground and most of the rivers shore are being used as defensive line.

However, if there is still lot of water currently, it may soon change with the winter. The next weeks will be crucial. Image
In Pokrovsk, I believe that around 80 or 90% of the city is under russian control. This map shows geolocalisation before november in white, between november 1 and 8 in green and since then in orange. Russia forces are sighted in all of the city. Image
The situation in Myrnohrad remains very difficult for the last Ukrainian defenders, who are waging more of a guerrilla war than a pitched battle.

With half of Rodynske now under Russian control, the withdrawal from Myrnohrad is probably slowly underway. Image
The situation around Shakhove remains favorable to Ukraine, which has been able to halt all Russian assaults and, prevent any attempt to outflank the Donbas strongholds from the west.

The Ukrainian army is also continuing to reinforce its fortifications upstream. Image
The situation in the heart of the Donbas is not necessarily good; the Russian army is using the bad weather and fog to infiltrate Kostiantynivka and advance towards Siversk.

In Lyman, only a few kilometers remain before reaching the Siverki Donets River. Image
In Kupyansk, the first signs of a slow Ukrainian withdrawal are appearing, with Russian advances in the pocket east of the city. Fighting continues in the heart of the city; it is not yet possible to speak of total Russian control over any particular district. Image
Finally, the situation at Vovchansk has deteriorated, with the Russian army reaching the southern outskirts of the destroyed city.

In the long term, there is a risk of a wider advance southward, especially since the fortifications are very far from the current front line. Image
While the situation is more or less under control everywhere, with the Ukrainian army slowly retreating, the situation on the southern front is far more worrying.

New defensive lines are being hastily erected in the west. Image
I believe they want to protect Pavlohrad and Dnipro as well as central Ukraine with those 3 lines (there is now way they will finish the first one imo).

The main problem is that they are not connected south, which means, the area south is intended to be slowly abandonned. Image
In summary, the situation around Houlialpole is becoming increasingly difficult. The lack of reserves and the dilapidated state of the units present raise fears of an even faster advance.

Ultimately, Zaporizhzhia and its 800,000 inhabitants, 70 km to the west, are threatened. Image
Thanks for following along. Feel free to ask me questions and follow my account if you haven't already.

I've noticed a drastic drop in engagement and views; it's harder to post under these circumstances... Do you still see my posts ?
If you want further details of the overall situation, I recommend reading this :

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More from @clement_molin

Nov 10
Le Mali 🇲🇱 va-t-il s'effondrer face à l'offensive du JNIM ?

Le blocus de la capitale Bamako, ne fait que s'intensifier depuis plusieurs semaines.

La poussée vers le sud des djihadistes fait craindre un effondrement, même s'ils ne contrôlent aucune ville.

🧵THREAD🧵1/17 ⬇️ Image
Il y a 2 mois, l'une des meilleures source cartographique sur le Mali (@criticalthreats) a publié cette carte du blocus de Bamako et des principales villes du pays par le JNIM (groupe de soutien à l'Islam et aux musulmans, liés à Al Qaïda). Image
Depuis ma dernière actualisation cartographique à la fin de l'été, le JNIM a progressé, principalement vers le centre et le sud du pays.

Celui-ci opère désormais dans la majorité du pays, même s'il ne met pas en place de contrôle direct du territoire. Image
Read 17 tweets
Nov 8
L'armée russe 🇷🇺 a conquis la majeure partie de Pokrovsk, plus grande ville prise depuis mai 2023.

Les infiltrations russes au sud du chemin de fer ont été consolidées, l'armée russe pousse désormais vers la périphérie nord. Myrnohrad est quasi encerclée.

🧵THREAD🧵1/15 ⬇️ Image
En septembre 2024, l'armée russe arrivait pour la première fois aux portes est de la ville après la prise de Novohrodivka.

Il aura fallu un an et deux mois pour contourner les défenses de Pokrovsk par le sud puis le nord-est avant de prendre la ville. (carte de @Deepstate_UA) Image
Il est indéniable que la bataille pour la ville aura été centrale dans la stratégie défensive ukrainienne.

La progression de 40km à l'ouest d'Avdiivka a été stoppée aux portes de la ville. Il aura fallu un long contournement et beaucoup de temps pour parvenir à isoler la ville. Image
Read 15 tweets
Nov 5
I agree, Ukraine had established its strategy in the defense of cities by retreating into them (Sievierodonetk, Sumy, Kyiv…)

Since Bakhmut, the Ukrainian army is no longer able to defend inside cities, examples : (Avdiivka, Selydove, Kourakhove, Pokrovsk…)

🧵THREAD🧵1/13⬇️ Image
The core of ukrainian strategy in 2022 was to retreat from the countrysides into large cities, this happened in the north, Nyzhin, Chernihiv, Konotop, Romny...

During the movement warfare, cities were the base of the defense, and Ukraine tryied to keep it later.
In 2023, Ukraine also based its defense on major cities, the main example is Bakhmut, for which the urban battle was one of the biggest and longest (talking about fightings inside, not in the flanks).

-> Bakhmut was the last battle fought during long time inside a city
Read 13 tweets
Nov 4
Seen from Kyiv 🇺🇦, the last Donbas fortress

Most maps of the war in Ukraine are showing the same perspective and the same informations. Here, you will see rivers, railways, fortifications, forests...

20 surprising maps on the war in Ukraine

🧵THREAD🧵1/23 ⬇️⬇️⬇️Image
1- The frontline in december 2022

Days after the end of the Kharkiv and Kherson counter-offensive, russian army was controling less than 50% of the Donetsk region. The battle for Bakhmut just started and Donetsk was still threatened.

This map may seem old or out of context, but it actually helps to better understand the evolution of the Russian offensives in the Donbas.

One must put oneself in the shoes of the political and military decision-makers in Moscow: they had failed to take Kyiv, Kharkiv, or Odessa, to force Ukraine to capitulate, they had been humiliated in Kharkiv, and had to retreat from Kherson. It was therefore the full force of Soviet firepower that was deployed in the east of the country and became ruthless in the ensuing battles, sometimes at the cost of very heavy losses, as at Bakhmut and Avdiivka.Image
2- Three years in Donbas

The last 3 years of war have mainly been fought in Donbass.

After very slow and costly advances for the Russian army in Bakhmut and Avdiivka in 2023, the offensive towards Pokrovsk accelerated in 2024, with the Ukrainian army surrendering the best fortifications in the Donetsk suburbs.

The main Russian victory took place in South Donetsk, now completely under Russian control, but many months of campaigning remain, at the current pace, between one and two years to capture the last strongholds in North Donetsk. These three years have seen a constant offensive, the gradual depletion of Ukrainian reserves, and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of soldiers in a relentless war of attrition. On paper, the Ukrainian army has held its ground and not yielded, despite local setbacks. It remains to be seen whether it will maintain its endurance.Image
Read 23 tweets
Nov 3
L'Armée Soudanaise 🇸🇩 continue d'offrir une base arrière pour les rebelles Tigréens 🔴🟡en réaction au soutien Ethiopien 🇪🇹 aux FSR.

Sur cette vidéo, 500 recrues de l'Armée 70 du TPLF participent à une cérémonie de remise des diplômes dans l'est du Soudan.

🧵THREAD🧵1/8⬇️
En tout, l'Armée 70 compterai plus de 5 000 hommes basés dans l'Etat du Gédaref, à l'est du Soudan.

Ces hommes ont fuit le Tigré en 2020, lorsque l'Ethiopie, l'Erythrée et les forces de l'Amhara avaient coupé la rébellion Tigréenne de la frontière soudanaise. Image
La région de Welkait, à l'ouest du Tigré (annexée par la région tigréenne à l'Amhara dans les années 1990) a été prise et annexée par l'amhara en 2020, coupant l'accès au Soudan, crucial pour les tigréens. Image
Read 8 tweets
Nov 1
🇷🇺/🇺🇦2026: Kramatorsk and Zaporijia?

With two months to go before the end of 2025, the Russian army continues to lay the groundwork for major battles in 2026.

With Pokrovsk falling, Putin will not stop his war before conquering Kramatorsk.

🧵THREAD🧵1/21 ⬇️Image
The capture of Pokrovsk is drawing closer, culminating a two-year offensive to first clear the outskirts of Donetsk and then assault this strategic city.

Situated on a hilltop and boasting a significant rail and road network, Pokrovsk will give the russians a major advantage. Image
The capture of Pokrovsk is not yet a done deal, and I estimate that the battle, particularly in the suburbs, will continue for several more months.

The Ukrainian army still holds the strongholds of Udachne and Rodynske, preventing any overrun on its flanks. Image
Read 21 tweets

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