The enemy is encircling the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kurakhove. What’s happening at the front, and will soldiers retreat from the city?

The situation in the Kurakhovo area of Donbas is quite complex. Fighting in the city has reached central districts, noted a lieutenant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the call sign "Alex."

"Fighting in Kurakhovo has reached central parts of the city in some places; we are partially pushing the enemy back, but they are launching new assaults; the elevator in the city is occupied by the opponent," said the fighter.

He pointed out that the enemy has moved closer to the line of Uspenivka — Yekaterinivka, with infantry and armored vehicles conducting assaults.

According to Ukrainian soldier Stanislav Bunatov, who goes by the call sign "Osman," heavy mechanized assaults are currently taking place in the Kurakhovo direction.

He specified that about 15 units of equipment and several infantry platoons were involved in the mechanized assaults.

"The equipment was destroyed not only by FPV drones; infantry with anti-tank weapons, including the Javelin and Leopard, also contributed significantly, and anti-tank barriers were effectively utilized. The infantry is being neutralized by drops and FPV drones. Right now, the enemy is active in this direction and continues operations using armored vehicles with landing troops," the military explained.

A fighter from the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade with the call sign "Muchnoy" noted that the situation is difficult in the north near Berestkove. The defense forces still hold the western part, but in his opinion, they may lose it.

"Beyond this village, there is a hill and Starye Terny, which have lost strategic significance given the gap in Kurakhovo itself, where the enemy has occupied the elevator area, and shortly thereafter seized the first high-rise buildings and the market," explained "Muchnoy."

He noted that to the south, from the side of Trudovoye, the Russians have reached the river, and they are closing in on Uspenivka. Furthermore, the enemy has managed to reach Yelizavetovka and the village of Veselyi Hai. Thus, all retreat routes are completely under the enemy's fire control.

"How do you get out of this trap? There is no way, only under fire and hoping to survive!" he added.

Russia surrounds the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Kurakhovo: what's happening in the city

"Unfortunately, there is a high probability that we will have to remain there (in Kurakhovo — ed.) for weeks, not months. The city is surrounded by more than 60%. It’s likely closer to 70%," said Stupak.

He believes that Ukrainian military personnel may have to exit the city within a week or two. However, they could hold out if the command sends more resources and personnel.

According to the expert, Kurakhovo is almost lost, as it is difficult to maintain defense there. He explained that the enemy aims to cut off the road connecting Kurakhovo with Pokrovsk in the Zaporizhzhia region. The closer the Russians get to the road, the faster Ukrainian military will have to leave, as this route is crucial for supplies such as food, medicine, ammunition, personnel, and equipment.

"We have a small corridor left, which is our only route. It is likely that we will have to exit from there, unfortunately," said Kramarov.

In his words, the situation in Kurakhovo resembles that in Ugledar, located southeast of the city. There, too, is a key road that the Defense Forces still control. Specifically, the corridor of Ukrainian control is about 6-7 kilometers, but as the expert understands, Ukrainians will likely have to retreat due to significant enemy pressure.

Russia's offensive potential: Ukraine misjudged the enemy's resources

The Russian Armed Forces are applying pressure on several fronts simultaneously, instead of focusing on a single point. When asked whether the enemy is acting logically in this situation, former spokesperson of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, military expert Vladislav Seleznev noted that there is no logic in this, but a strange situation has arisen. He reminded that the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, insisted that by early October, the Russians would face problems with their offensive potential, but that did not happen.

The military expert reported that over the past ten days, enemy losses have not been less than one and a half thousand per day. Despite this, they still have resources to continue their attacks. Seleznev is puzzled about where the enemy is getting its resources from and why there was a miscalculation in assessing Russia's resources.

He is convinced that the Russians have thrown all available resources into the "war hell" to achieve as many victories as possible on the battlefield.

In turn, Andriy Kramarov believes that the issue is not about logic but about Russia's capabilities. If the army has a quantitative advantage, it can be deployed across different fronts, thereby creating problems for the Defense Forces and stretching Ukrainian resources and efforts. After all, Ukrainians operate with fewer pieces of equipment and personnel.

Recall that on November 14, Ukrainian fighter with the call sign "Muchnoy" reported that in the Kurakhovo direction The Defense Forces might lose an important stronghold and get encircled.

On November 18, it became known that the 33rd Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, along with other units, repelled a large-scale attack by the Russian Armed Forces in the Kurakhovo direction. In particular, during the defense against the assault, the battle tank Leopard 2A4 distinguished itself.