Huliaipole, Oleksandrivka are priority directions for Russian forces — analyst

Military analyst Ivan Tymochko stated this on Espreso TV.

"Currently, the opposing side is trying to shift the focus of its offensive to where it is more advantageous for them. Oleksandrivka and Huliaipole are directions adjacent to the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad front, where the Russian forces share logistics. Russian forces can transfer their units over short distances: reinforcements, movements, artillery support—even without removing it from combat positions—and use them in both the Pokrovsk and Oleksandrivka directions. The same applies to operators and armored vehicles," noted Ivan Tymochko.

According to him, the objective regarding Huliaipole is clear: to try to capture this settlement, not only for political reasons as the birthplace of Makhno, but also because it is a fairly significant railway hub. Nearby, there is a settlement whose name speaks for itself—Zaliznychne, which means 'Railway'.

"It is clear that Huliaipole is a priority for the invaders. However, we should not forget that at this stage, the Russian forces lack the strength for an offensive on such a settlement and fortified area. Therefore, they are currently trying to advance through small settlements and establish positions there. Overall, we understand that it is of significant interest for the opposing side to reach the lateral road that runs along the front line, connecting Oleksandrivka with Huliaipole. Of course, they plan to use this road for their logistics and, at a minimum, to disrupt our logistics," the military analyst commented.

In his opinion, this road is of interest to the Russian forces as a line for building some form of defense or clear counteraction in this direction, as they lack the strength for a major, large-scale operation to break into open operational space.

"The Russians will assess the situation to consolidate their units wherever they manage to advance. However, Huliaipole and Oleksandrivka are priority directions, as one settlement is a railway line, and the other is a direction that Russian forces might consider as a staging ground for an offensive towards the Dnipropetrovsk region," Tymochko summarized.

• On November 21, the Ukrainian Armed Forces' General Staff reported 130 combat clashes on the Russian-Ukrainian front. In the Oleksandrivka direction, since the beginning of the day, Ukrainian defenders have repelled 20 assaults in the areas of the settlements of Andriivka-Klevtsove, Yalta, Sichneve, Vorone, Stepove, Verbove, Pryvilne, and towards Oleksiivka. In the Huliaipole direction, Russian forces attempted to advance on our troops' positions three times in the Rivnopillia area and towards Zatyshshia, with one battle still ongoing.