Huliaipole is almost lost: What is happening on front line in first weeks of New Year
What is happening on the front line in the first weeks of the New Year
Kupiansk, Kostiantynivka, Myrnohrad, Pokrovsk, Huliaipole — it is difficult to even determine where the hottest spots are right now. It is the same everywhere. And although, according to reports, the Ukrainian army kills about a thousand occupiers every day, the enemy is not getting any smaller. It continues to push forward on all fronts. Incidentally, one of the reconnaissance units operating between Pokrovsk and Mezhova, covering the road to Dobropillia, has calculated that in 2025 it neutralised more than four thousand Muscovites in this direction on its own. And it continues to do so.
Unfortunately, the military refers to Huliaipole as a lost city. Our troops are still present in half of the settlement, but the enemy has infiltrated the battle lines. Therefore, the situation here is described as tense. It could be changed by regrouping enemy reserves to another area. Currently, the enemy's concentration of forces is significantly superior. Only actions elsewhere on the front line can force them to divert forces and resources from here. Otherwise, we will gradually lose territory here.
Moreover, the enemy is using all its forces and means to cut off logistics routes so that it is impossible to even reach the positions from which Ukrainian pilots take off. Not to mention the possibility of delivering the necessary supplies to the front line or regularly replacing fighters in the trenches and observation posts.
But the commanders who lead the troops in Huliaipole believe that so far, the war in this direction is going in the right direction. What does this mean? It means that, as we have seen on numerous occasions, there are no attempts to hold on to every shed or brick of the destroyed neighbourhoods at any cost, but rather to conserve strength in order to deliver devastating blows to the enemy.
During these same days, the 1st Separate Assault Regiment named after Dmytro Kotsiubailo, Da Vinci's friend, discovered two Russians in the Zaporizhzhia direction who had arrived on horseback to storm the positions. Our guys did everything they could to force the enemy to dismount and engage in a firefight. Moreover, the battle was fought in such a way that the horses were not harmed. Because horses are not to blame! After the enemy was neutralised, the horses were taken away to help transport our wounded from the front line. Unfortunately, during the evacuation, there was artillery fire and one horse was killed... Back in 2022, this unit, founded by volunteer Dmytro Kotsiubailo, a friend of DaVinci, captured Russian tanks, thanks to which the unit now has a tank company that still operates exclusively on captured equipment. Now, it seems that the assault regiment will also form a company on captured horses...
In the same Zaporizhzhia direction, but much closer to Zaporizhzhia itself, the situation is also quite difficult. Active fighting is taking place in the city of Stepnohirsk itself. The enemy has accumulated here, but the Ukrainian defence forces are not allowing them to feel at ease.
Over the past three weeks, the situation in Pokrovsk has been kept under control along the railway tracks. But the enemy is not taking any breaks or holidays and continues to try to advance further. Their target here is Hryshyne, a village that has long been a logistical hub, so to speak, for our troops entering and leaving Pokrovsk. From time to time, Russians are found and destroyed in this very settlement. The units that have been in this area for a year, a year and a half, two years, are showing miracles of resistance.
At the same time, almost every brigade commander here is under investigation for failing to carry out orders from the high command. It is even interesting to wonder whether there is a single brigade commander in our army who has not been investigated in this way. It does not matter that the Commander-in-Chief praises these commanders at meetings and promises them help; in reality, at the first opportunity, they are punished or humiliated. It is therefore not surprising that a movement to dismiss authoritative commanders from the army has already begun.
It was in the Pokrovsk direction in 2025 that the enemy began to increasingly involve its scouts not in a targeted manner, as before, to study the situation and specific operations, but with the aim of penetrating our rear in order to reach 10-15 kilometres to the third line of defence. And in many cases, this yielded results. This is not because there are no personnel to advance. It is for the effective destruction of our defences. Because the enemy's scouts are well trained, experienced and carry out their tasks. Although they were captured and killed, it must be acknowledged that this is a smart strategy that has proven effective in some areas.
In Myrnohrad, marines and other units are almost surrounded. They are not being given orders to regroup or withdraw to take up better positions and save lives. Here, the policy of "holding on at any cost and fighting for every destroyed building" continues, which no longer makes any sense. Because there is nothing to hold on to.
It is no secret that the situation in Kostiantynivka is becoming increasingly difficult. The enemy has already entered the outskirts of the city. But the combat brigades defending it are fighting back strongly. However, when a brigade starts loudly proclaiming that it is holding a certain settlement, this usually indicates that the situation is extremely bad. I am referring to Sviato-Pokrovske. As one of the officers who is well versed in the situation in that area put it: "Unfortunately, it has become a popular saying: if they start talking about holding a settlement with all their might, it means that we will lose it very soon." Here, unfortunately, the enemy is driving our fighters out of their positions and pushing forward. Not as fast as it was before the frosts, but still. Small groups of the enemy are already entering the next village after Sviato-Petrivske, trying to gather there as well.
The war is not stopping. I would even say it is becoming more aggressive. And those who have not yet understood that it is a war for survival should draw their conclusions. To win, you need to be either in the army or for the army.
You can support the unit of ground robotic complexes that deliver cargo in the Zaporizhzhia direction by following the link:
Fundraising for the modernisation of the UGV
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https://send.monobank.ua/jar/AiBscGAE5
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4874 1000 2079 3553
Violetta Kirtoka, Censor.NET
