Combat intensity is on rise — military expert Zgurets on situation at front

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

"If you take into account the report of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, you will realize that the intensity of hostilities is quite high. We are talking about 69 combat engagements, half of them in the Avdiivka-Marinka-Bakhmut direction. And the main focus of our attention remains Avdiivka, where the enemy continues to assault, although we have noted that a third assault is expected. This does not mean that there is a pause now, as the enemy is trying to gain a foothold behind the railroad north of Avdiivka and is making attempts to move towards Stepove. The enemy does not abandon its intention to develop the direction from Krasnohorivka - Stepove - Berdychi to get to Orlivka and complicate logistics. They are also trying to reach Coke Plant, and are attacking the area around the plant's perimeter. In the north, these attacks are not successful for the enemy," commented the military expert.

Photo: Espreso

The analyst added that Russian troops continue trying to put pressure on Avdiivka from the south, where they are not making much progress. However, it is clear that encircling the city or cutting off Ukraine's logistics remains an important task for the enemy, so they do not care about losses.

"Further, if you look at the map of Bakhmut, the enemy has also become more active there. General Syrskyi says that the enemy is trying to recapture the positions from which it was pushed out. Maksym Zhorin, deputy commander of the 3rd separate assault brigade, also said this. This brigade is holding the defense and conducting offensive actions in the area of Klishchiivka. Now there are combat actions on the counter courses. The enemy has also increased manpower to put pressure on the southern direction.

Photo: Espreso

In the north, the invaders are trying to act from Berkhivka and further north, which also creates tension in this area of the front. In other words, the number of enemy personnel is actually increasing in the areas of Kupyansk, Svatove, Kreminna, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Marinka, despite their losses," noted the director of Defense Express information and consulting company.

According to him, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have improved the situation around Robotyne, where there are advances in certain areas. On the map, these are minor advances, but the enemy's losses are significant. There seem to be hints that between Robotyne and Verbove they managed to reach the dominant heights held by the enemy, which complicated the Ukrainian defense. If this information is true, it will improve Ukrainian positions in the area between Robotyne and Verbove.

"The situation on the left bank of the Kherson region is such that foreign experts note an improvement in the positions of Ukrainian troops, i.e. the expansion of footholds. However, as I understand it, the enemy will primarily concentrate its efforts on striking at the logistics routes of supplying our units, which transport everything they need across the Dnipro River.

This direction remains extremely tense for the occupiers, who have moved some of their reserves, but not close to the fighting. It seems that the enemy is waiting for our troops to move deeper and then use these accumulated reserves. In the meantime, in the near future, the enemy will use aviation, primarily to strike the right bank and the left bank, complicating our logistics. In turn, our artillery, FPV drones and electronic warfare are actively working, which prevents the Russians from advancing to our units holding the bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnipro River," summarized Colonel Zgurets.

• On November 13, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, 69 combat clashes took place at the front yesterday. In the Kherson direction, Ukrainian defenders are engaged in counter-battery combat, inflicting fire on the enemy's rear.
• The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) also reported that Ukrainian troops achieved some success on the left bank of the Kherson region.