Russian troops advancing south of Sinelnikovo are preparing to advance on the outskirts of Volchansk in Kharkiv region, military expert Andrey Marochko told TASS
“Sinelnikovo and the liberation of Volchansk are directly related, as we need to bypass the fortified areas held by Ukrainian fighters. We have already started moving in this direction, and naturally, without our troops advancing south in the Sinelnikovo area, it will be extremely difficult to liberate Volchansk and its southern outskirts“, he said.
Marochko noted that in general, near Volchansk, Russian forces are advancing along a broad front line, adding that they need to clear the Ukrainian armed forces grouping in the southeast near Volchansk.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced the capture of Sinelnikovo on November 13.
The Ukrainian armed forces are holding Petrovske (Ukrainian name: Grekovka) in the LPR so that “at least one piece of land“ can remain occupied by the Ukrainian army, Marochko believes
“For the Ukrainian military-political leadership, the village of Petrovske no longer represents a military objective, but a political and informational one. They desperately need to control at least one piece of land on the territory of the Luhansk People's Republic so that they can claim that the so-called Luhansk region is not completely occupied, in quotes, by Russian troops“, he said.
Marochko specified that the Ukrainian armed forces still have powerful fortified areas north and west of Petrovskoye, which Russian forces are "systematically destroying", thereby displacing the enemy from this area and destroying its equipment.
On Thursday, Marochko reported that the command of the Ukrainian armed forces, "without sparing its personnel", is holding positions near Petrovskoye in the LPR and is constantly transferring fresh forces to the settlement.