The Armed Forces of Ukraine are stopping one of the most powerful Russian offensives since the beginning of the armed invasion, their commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrski said on Saturday. According to the Ukrainian DeepState project, which monitors the situation on the front, from the beginning of August this year to November 1, Russian troops occupied 1,146 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory.
Syrski said in a Saturday post on Telegram that he met on that day with representatives of the Czech army, including the chief of the general staff, Karel Rzehka.
“I informed my Czech colleagues about the situation on the front line, which remains difficult,” wrote Syrski, adding: “currently, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are stopping one of the most powerful Russian offensives before launching an armed invasion in 2022.”
Syrski did not provide details and did not say where the heaviest fighting was taking place. Saturday's report by the general staff of the Ukrainian army shows that the most difficult situation remains in the Donetsk region.
The hottest sections on the front are the Pokrovsky and Lymansk directions, where Ukrainian forces are repelling systematic enemy attacks.
Ukrainian soldiers in positions near the town of Chasiv YarPAP/EPA
1,146 square kilometers in enemy hands
According to the Ukrainian DeepState project, monitoring the situation on the front, from the beginning of August this year to November 1, Russian troops occupied 1,146 square kilometers of territory Ukraine.
DeepState reported that in late October, Russian forces took control of the town of Selydove and are trying to advance towards the cities of Pokrovsk and Kurakhov, considered important logistical hubs for Ukrainian defense in Donbass.
“In October, Russian troops achieved objectives on several sections of the front simultaneously: they reached the Oskil River south of the city of Kupyansk (in the Kharkiv Oblast), they broke through the Seversky Donets Canal to the southern outskirts of the city of Chasiv Yar, they reached the western outskirts of Toretsk and drove Ukrainian forces from positions between Selydove and Donetsk, ensuring control of the area and an important route leading from Donetsk to Pokrovsk,” the independent Russian-language portal The Moscow Times commented on the progress of the Russian army.
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Five times more than in the entire year 2023
According to data from the Ukrainian Telegram channel UA War Infographics, in August and September this year, Russian troops occupied more than five times more territory in Ukraine than in the entire year 2023.
“If in the first half of 2024 Russian troops occupied no more than 200 square kilometers per month, then in August this figure reached 351 square kilometers, and in September – 468 square kilometers,” UA War Infographics reported in mid-October. The authorities in Kiev have not yet commented on these reports.
tvn24,pl, NV, The Moscow Times
Main photo source: PAP/EPA