Ukraine might not be able to maintain control around Kurakhove — Ukrainian colonel

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

"According to the Deep State map, Stari Terny in the western part of the Kurakhove Reservoir is already under the control of the Russian army. The distance from the vanguard units of the Russian army to the road passing through Kurakhove and connecting Zaporizhzhia with Donetsk is approximately 1.5 km. This means that Russian FPV drones, mortars, and artillery systems fully cover this road, making it extremely difficult to ensure stable logistics for the Ukrainian garrison in Kurakhove," explained the military expert.

He noted that the dynamics on this section of the front are alarming. How quickly Russia can advance will depend on the effectiveness of Ukrainian units' actions within the framework of maneuver defense.

"Can we maintain control over the situation in the Kurakhove region? I have very reasonable doubts. To see why, it’s enough to look at the DeepState map: the narrow section of the front defended by Ukrainian Defense Forces is heavily targeted by Russian artillery and vulnerable to guided bomb strikes. Therefore, it’s likely unreasonable to assume we can hold this area in the foreseeable future. I hope that through maneuver defense and rear-guard battles, we will manage to withdraw Ukrainian personnel who have been defending these positions, as well as save equipment and supplies," noted the Ukrainian Armed Forces colonel.

Selezniov added that the current situation in the Kurakhove sector stems from the decisions of certain military commanders who organized defensive operations in suboptimal ways. As a result, Ukraine is now facing the repercussions of those actions. He emphasized the need to analyze these setbacks to prevent similar mistakes in the future.

• Yehor Firsov, serviceman with Ukraine's 109th Battalion, identifies Chasiv Yar, Myrnohrad, Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, and Toretsk as the hottest spots in the Donetsk region.
• On December 8, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported at least 191 combat clashes on the Ukrainian-Russian front. In the Kurakhove sector, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 40 Russian attacks.