Advantages of Russian dronesUkraine reports partial withdrawal of its troops on the southern front
Russia bombarded Ukrainian positions in the Zaporizhia region with heavy fire. According to human rights defenders, the attackers fired with all their might. Ukraine’s southern front also began to falter due to increasing desertions within its own ranks.
After setbacks in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian army also came under increasing pressure on the southern front in the Zaporizhia region. Army Group South said on Facebook that “heavy fighting has been going on for several days” in the Oleksandrivka and Hulyaypole sectors of the front line. Ukrainian troops would be repulsed using “all types of weapons available.”
Therefore, the army had to withdraw from the towns of Novouspenivske, Nove, Okhotnytsche, Uspenivka and Novomykolaivka northeast of the town of Huliaipole. The cities of Jablukowe, Rivnopilja and Solodke are also closely contested. The troop withdrawal order was issued after “effective destruction of all shelters and fortifications” following intensive artillery fire. About 2,000 shells fell on Ukrainian positions. According to Ukrainian information, this resulted in a setback of about ten kilometers.
The aim of the Russian offensive was to conquer the small town of Hulyajpole from the east. In addition, northbound supply lines leading to Pokrovske in the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region will be cut. The settlement, which is about ten kilometers from the front line, has been frequently attacked by Russian drones and glide bombs.
Military observers have previously reported Russian breakthroughs on this front and the Russian army has claimed to have captured several places. The increasing thinning of Ukraine’s defense lines due to troop shortages and the overwhelming superiority of Russian drones are seen as reasons for Russia’s success.
Note desertion reports
In October, a new record number of desertions and unauthorized absences from the police was discovered, with more than 20,000 cases registered with the public prosecutor’s office. The number of unreported cases is said to be much higher. At the same time, new footage of forced recruitment in the Ukrainian interior is posted on social networks every day. These efforts often fail due to resistance from those affected and solidarity from passersby. According to old information from July, Kiev can recruit up to 30,000 new soldiers per month.
According to previous official information, the Ukrainian armed forces have one million people under arms. Only around 200,000 personnel were deployed along the 1,200-kilometer front line. But on the Russian side, according to information from Moscow and Kiev, between 600,000 and 700,000 troops are deployed in Ukraine. How many fought directly on the front lines is unknown. However, the Kremlin has so far been able to avoid a general mobilization similar to that undertaken by Ukraine’s war opponents because of large monetary payouts.
Ukraine has been fighting the Russian invasion for more than three and a half years. Especially in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian armed forces have been slowly but surely retreating under months of Russian pressure.
