““There are no borders for Russians.” Will the occupiers advance on the Dnipro and what is their plan – analysis of NV November 27, 16:45 Share: Russian military (Photo: Sergey Pivovarov/Reuters) Author: Elizaveta Drabkina Military experts explained to NV what to expect from the Russians in the south, and whether large cities of this region – Dnipro and Zaporizhia – will be in the danger zone. Analysts at the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted in their daily report that”, — write on: ua.news
Russian military (Photo: Sergey Pivovarov/Reuters)
Military experts explained to NV what to expect from the Russians in the south, and whether the large cities of this region – Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia – will be in the threat zone.
Analysts of the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in its daily report noted that the Russian military command is considering the possibility of an offensive on the southeastern part of the Dnipropetrovsk region. According to them, this can contribute to the achievement of the strategic goal of the Russian Federation — the complete capture of the Donetsk region.
Are the occupiers really counting on such a new offensive?
Everything rests on the defense of Velika Novosilka
In order to advance to the Dnipropetrovsk region, the Russians must first seize Donetsk region, NV Pavlo Narozhnyi, a military expert and founder of the Reaktivna poshta BO, noted in a comment. After all “it is impossible to leave behind such a large area under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and start hitting the junction between the Donetsk region and the Dnipropetrovsk region.” In addition, the occupiers do not control the Zaporizhzhia region.
Therefore, the enemy must first seize the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration in the north-west of Donetsk region. And the way there lies through Pokrovsk, which is now being approached by an enemy offensive. However, such an advance will not be easy: according to Narozhny, it may take months, because the section of the front will need to be leveled and stabilized. Only after that can we talk about a certain one “hypothetical” attack on the Dnipropetrovsk region.
At the same time, according to Oleksandr Kovalenko, a military-political observer of the Information Resistance group, the Russians very quickly approached Velika Novosilka, which is a settlement in the very west of Donetsk region, close to the administrative border with the Zaporizhia region. They tried for a long time to break through to this village from the south and west through Novodarivka and Rivnopil, but they did not succeed. The Russians did this in the direction of Zolota Niva — Velyka Novosilka and Shakhtarske — Rozdolne. Currently, the occupiers are located almost on the eastern and south-eastern outskirts of Velika Novosilka.
However, the Russians still cannot form coverage from the right, western, flank, the expert noted. Namely, these conflict zones are close to the junction of Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions. “If they manage to expand the zone of control beyond the borders of Novodarivka and Rivopol, reach the level of Temyrivka – Zelene Pole or Novosilka and cover Velika Novosilka, then they will also enter the territory of Dnipropetrovsk region,” Kovalenko added.