Difficult situation with escalation tendency - military expert on Kurakhove sector

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

"The situation in the Kurakhove direction is certainly very complex and tends to escalate. The problem is that, first of all, Russians have occupied nearly all territories located north of the Kurakhove reservoir. This way, their forces have formed a northern blockade around the Ukrainian garrison in the Kurakhove sector. 

From the south, the occupying Russian forces are also pressing in, effectively beginning to establish a so-called bridgehead for further attacks. Though, it is not precisely known where Russia's efforts will be concentrated — whether on Kurakhove itself or to the west of the town," commented the military expert.

According to him, Russian troops were laying the groundwork to potentially occupy Kostyantynopilske, located west of Kurakhove, attempting to establish a full encirclement of the Ukrainian garrison both in Kurakhove and its outskirts.

"This is a serious challenge that requires immediate action from the Ukrainian General Staff. Some of our units have been redeployed to this section of the front, but it’s hard to predict if they will help stabilize the situation, as Russians have amassed significant resources there. 

We also face another problem: there were illusions and expectations that the Russian occupation forces would be exhausted by October, but Russians continue launching offensives on at least seven sectors of the front. So, it's not accurate to talk about stagnation on the battlefield," Vladyslav Selezniov concluded.

• On November 7, Russian forces managed to advance in the Donetsk region and captured Novooleksiivka.
• On November 8, according to the Ukrainian General Staff, 171 combat engagements were recorded on the Russian-Ukrainian front. In the Kurakhove sector, the Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 40 Russian attacks. The Russian occupiers were most actively attempting to advance in the areas of Illinka, Berestky, Novoselydivka, Novodmytrivka, Voznesenka, Maksymivka, Antonivka, Dalnie, and Katerynivka.