Rising threats demand preparation to pull back: military expert Zgurets on situation in Vuhledar

He spoke about this on Espreso TV.

“Despite the fact that some foreign media reported a few days ago that the 72nd Brigade had withdrawn from Vuhledar, the situation is not really like that. The fighting continues in Vuhledar. The 72nd Brigade is holding this section of the frontline in extremely critical conditions. The main challenges there now are that the Russians are trying to flank them from the east and west. The main risk is the road from Bohoiavlenka to Vuhledar, which is one of the main arteries supplying the Ukrainian foothold. Now it is more than 1 km from Bohoiavlenka to the mines that were captured in the Vodiane area, which allows the Russians to keep this supply line under fire control. This creates significant risks for the Ukrainian brigade's combat operations,” noted the military expert.

According to him, in any case, all experts agree that one way or another, Ukrainian troops should retreat from this area, but even now the fighting continues there.

“And some foreign journalists are starting to say that we can hold Vuhledar if we can ensure the stable logistics of our bridgehead and garrison there. I think that the risks are much greater, so we need to gradually wind down this defense and continue to move to other lines of defense. Ukrainian General Staff is well aware of this, but in many parts of the frontline, wherever we face similar situations, we see that Ukrainian soldiers are holding the line to the last,” summarized Zgurets.

• Soldiers of Ukraine's 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade named after the Black Zaporozhians denied the information about their withdrawal from Vuhledar.
• On September 29, DeepState reported that the occupying Russian army was continuing to advance near Vuhledar, Donetsk region, as the enemy was trying to gain a foothold in high-rise buildings and the outskirts of the city.