Ukrainian Forces Encircle Tokmak From The East
- 3.09.2023, 10:09
The Russians are panicking, expecting the complete collapse of the Southern Front.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to "bite into" the main enemy defence line in the South. The invaders are panicking, they are starting to transfer additional forces there from other sectors of the front.
Military expert and pilot-instructor Roman Svitan, a retired colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, provides his analysis of the situation for 24 Channel.
Battles for the Zaporizhzhia region
Over the past 24 hours, there has been confirmed information about the advance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Zaporizhzhia region near the village of Novoprokopivka.
Reserve Colonel Roman Svitan believes that the movement of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is not directed towards the settlement of Tokmak but to the east. The Ukrainian troops are moving between Novoprokopivka and Verbove, forcing the Russian garrisons out of these settlements.
“It is better to take Tokmak in a semi-circle from the east. The movement between Novoprokopivka and Verbove indicates that we are moving towards the railway, which approaches from the east, and the highway from the southeast,” said the military analyst.
Such actions will force the Russians to leave the surrounding settlements. Further movement south of the city will force the Russians to leave Tokmak, Enerhodar and make it possible to cut off the entire Zaporizhzhia-Kherson bridgehead.
The Russians are moving troops to the South
The Institute for the Study of War reported that the Russians deployed reserve troops to move them to the south of Ukraine.
Col Svitan said that the occupiers should have deployed the 25th Combined Arms Army troops in December 2023. However, the enemy began to transfer part of the army that had not yet been deployed to the Luhansk region, replacing the 41st Combined Arms Army, which had been fighting for a long time.
However, they are transferring the 41st Army to the Zaporizhzhia region, realizing that the front there will soon crumble and Ukrainian troops will enter the operational space.
“The 25th [Russian army - Ed.] is not ready and really poorly equipped. At least a few more months it was necessary to prepare it, but the Russians are already being forced to such a movement by our readiness to break through the Zaporizhzhia line,” said the colonel in reserve.
Russians are forced to choose between bad and worst. They will not be able to strengthen the Zaporizhzhia front with such troops, because the occupiers have been fighting on the Luhansk front for a long time and need rotation. The Russians are doing it because of desperation, besides, they are taking very young and untrained fighters to the Luhansk front.