Russia deploys 150,000 troops on most challenging frontline sectors — military expert Zgurets

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

“Currently, we have three most challenging directions: Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, and the area around Velyka Novosilka. In these sectors, the Russian army has concentrated around 150,000 personnel out of the 700,000 stretched across other fronts. Specifically, there are about 70,000 Russian troops in the Pokrovsk sector, 35,000-40,000 around Kurakhove, and about 40,000 in the Velyka Novosilka area where Russians are trying to encircle this region and cut off key routes,” emphasized Zgurets.

According to the military expert, Russian forces have been storming the Pokrovsk direction for six months, using 70,000 personnel. During this time, their advance has been only 6 km, with Pokrovsk remaining a well-fortified area.

“Ukrainian forces have withdrawn from the ‘Uspenivka pocket’ near Kurakhove, where an 8 km defensive line was built along the northern bank of the Sukhi Yaly River. This position was relatively advantageous due to its higher elevation compared to the southern bank. The defense forces were withdrawn from this pocket, which really looked like a trap. Now a similar situation is taking place south of Kurakhove. Russians are trying to cut off the route from Kurakhove to Zaporizhzhia, capturing settlements and putting pressure on Ukrainian positions,” noted Zgurets.

The military expert also noted that Ukrainian forces often hold their positions until the last moment.

“There are times when it appears that a retreat happens too late. However, the situation on the map can sometimes look much more complicated, much more tragic, than what’s happening on the battlefronts where Ukrainian military talk about the possibility of defending until the last moment,” summed up Zgurets.

• On December 19, 191 clashes occurred on the Russian-Ukrainian front. Ukrainian defenders repelled 60 Russian attacks in the Kursk region and 32 in the Pokrovsk sector.
• On Thursday, December 19, Russian forces managed to capture Kostiantynopilske in the Donetsk region.