The Armed Forces of Ukraine have taken the initiative in Donbas and advanced forward, - Dykyi

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have taken the initiative in Donbas and advanced forward, - Dykyi

The Russian command understood that they wouldn’t break through Pokrovsk, stated veteran Yevhen Dykyi. Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops targeted enemy bridges on the Oskil River.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine intercepted the initiative on the battlefield, moved into an offensive, and are about to regain control of a large city in Donbas. Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have completely stalled, capturing less territory with more losses.

About the changes on the front and the offensive of the Defence Forces, military analyst, former platoon commander of the Aidar battalion, Yevhen Dykyi, told NV media.

Dykyi named three points on the thousand-kilometer front where the Armed Forces of Ukraine intercepted the initiative and are forcing the units of the Russian Armed Forces to retreat. According to him, the number of Russian losses has "turned into quality," and this is noticeable by the changes on the battle lines.

The Pokrovsk direction. The veteran emphasized that the Russian Armed Forces have completely stopped near Pokrovsk. In his opinion, the Russian command already understood that they would not take the city. The actions of the Russians indicate this understanding—they have begun to redeploy reserves to other, more promising directions.

"We not only stopped them near Pokrovsk, but we also began, and I would not call it a proud word ’counteroffensive’—it is somewhat compromised in 2023, but there is a series of very well-thought-out, local but very accurate counterattacks. And in some places, these counterattacks are already turning into a full interception of the initiative," he said.

The DeepState map shows the situation in the Pokrovsk direction. In recent weeks, five areas have appeared where the Armed Forces of Ukraine have pushed back the units of the Russian Armed Forces.

The Toretsk direction. Dykyi stated that right now, while he is giving a comment to NV, Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers are "liberating the city of Toretsk." He noted that this is quite a large settlement, and such a significant event is happening for the first time in recent times.

"It is being returned, and I remind you that it’s the first large settlement. We are regaining it for the first time in a very long time. We haven’t had liberated large cities for a long time. Toretsk seems to be the first," the veteran stated.

Meanwhile, it should be noted that DeepState analysts are not showing changes in Toretsk. We see about 80% of the settlement which remains under possible Russian control.

The Kupyansk direction. Another area Dykyi mentioned is the front in the Kharkiv region. He explained that the Russian Armed Forces established two bridges on the western bank of the Oskil River and noted it as "very serious threat." According to him, at this stage, with the Russians halted near Pokrovsk, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have all the capabilities to reclaim the bridges.

"This means they are no longer expanding, and finally, work has begun to eliminate them. How long it will take, we will see. It is very challenging when they have already entrenched," the veteran explained.

Apart from the three front sectors in Donbas, Dykyi also spoke about the Kursk region. In his opinion, there are also "good news" with the Ukrainian Armed Forces moving into an offensive. Specifically, the Ukrainians struck Russian logistics and the rear of the Russian Armed Forces, the veteran reported.

"The fact is that across almost the entire front, we are slowly but surely intercepting the initiative," he concluded.