Russia's capture of Stari Terny near Kurakhove raises questions — military expert

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

“It is worth saying that the very fact of the capture of Stari Terny raises very big questions. I mean, it was a serious defense hub of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, and I have no answer as to how the occupiers captured this settlement in a day. But there is a persistent feeling of déjà vu, when, in fact, the occupiers unexpectedly captured Novohrodivka, which was a rather serious defense hub for our defenders, with three mines. And in two days we surrendered this settlement almost without a fight,” he said. 

Dmytro Sniehyriov also noted that the capture of Stari Terny minimizes the possibility of active defense by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kurakhove.

"Therefore, these events cannot but cause, let's say, some concern, especially since the capture of Stari Terny creates the preconditions for actually reaching the rear of the Ukrainian group focused on the so-called industry of the Kurakhove Thermal Power Plant. And this minimizes the possibility of active defense by the Ukrainian Defense Forces directly in Kurakhove itself. In addition, it is worth noting that besides the capture of Stari Terny, the occupiers are making steady progress in Kurakhove itself," he said. 

“Fighting continues along Prokofiev Street, Soborna Street, and a number of high-rise buildings have been seized. Unfortunately, the occupiers are also advancing in the direction of Shevchenko, which is actually a suburb of Pokrovsk, and this creates a threat of reaching Pokrovsk directly. And accordingly, there is a possibility of a flanking maneuver with the threat of creating an operational encirclement of Ukrainian groups directly in the Pokrovsk agglomeration,” he added.

• According to DeepState, on December 4, Russian troops advanced in Kostiantynopolske, Sukhi Yaly, Stari Terny, Novopustyntsi and Yelyzavetivka in Pokrovsk district of Donetsk region, as well as in Chasiv Yar in Bakhmut district of Donetsk region.