Sharp change in recent months! Russian army advances rapidly in eastern Ukraine, but Ukrainian forces hold the front

The situation in eastern Ukraine has changed sharply in recent months, as Russian forces have advanced significantly and systematically destroyed civilian infrastructure, The Economist reports, quoted by the Ukrainian UNIAN agency.

According to Ukrainian Major Vyacheslav Shutenko, the town of Konstantinovka is not under immediate threat of capture. However, the slow but steady advance of Russian forces is also putting the neighboring town of Druzhkovka under increasingly intense shelling. Part of the main road to Izyum has also become vulnerable to drone attacks, which has forced the diversion of traffic to bypass routes.

Despite the successes achieved, The Economist notes that experts say the Russian army faces a long-term inevitable defeat. Russian military reconnaissance in August uncovered a vulnerable spot in Ukraine's defenses near Dobropilya. This allowed Russian forces to break through the front and advance more than 13 kilometers in a matter of days.

According to the analysis, if this breakthrough had been consolidated, Russia could have attempted to encircle Pokrovsk. Instead, Ukrainian forces managed to halt the offensive and encircle the advancing Russian units. Lieutenant Colonel Arsen "Lemko" Dmytryk of the National Guard of Ukraine (Azov Brigade) claims that the Russian army has lost about 10,000 soldiers in this battle since August. The Economist specifies that this data cannot be fully confirmed.

Ukrainian forces have not announced their losses, indicating only that they are significantly smaller than the Russians. The military emphasizes that this operation is an example of the successful coordination between dozens of Ukrainian units - something that has often been lacking in the past and has led to losses. According to Lemko, in the last week alone, Russian forces have lost 50 tanks and armored vehicles. He points out that the number of Russians in the encircled zone has dropped from several hundred a month ago to less than 100 today.

"They are surrounded and are unlikely to hold out much longer", he says.

The media notes that while fierce fighting is taking place on the battlefield, there are developments on the diplomatic front. On October 16, US President Donald Trump had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two have agreed to meet in Budapest in the coming weeks.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that "Putin is not winning the war, and Ukraine is not losing it". He stressed that the Russian military is currently in a weak position and urged Trump to put more pressure on Putin than on Hamas, arguing that the Russian leader is "more dangerous" and the war in Ukraine is "more extensive".

Former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also commented on the war in Ukraine, stating that it is the result of long-term planning by the Kremlin, not a spontaneous decision. According to Scholz, the war has no justification from a security perspective and is a pure manifestation of imperialist policy on the part of Russia.