The Ukrainian Armed Forces are under heavy pressure in southern Ukraine, where Ukrainian fighters are significantly outnumbered by Russian brigades that have seized hundreds of square kilometers of territory in recent weeks, UNIAN reported.
According to a Ukrainian security service official with the call sign “Banker“, speaking to CNN, Russian forces have advanced through open terrain in several areas of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. He added that the situation in the region remains tense.
“The enemy is trying to strengthen its negotiating position by trying to seize more territory,“ he told reporters.
“Banker“ said that the Russians were sending small infantry groups to break through to the most vulnerable positions of the Defense Forces. He noted that the most intense fighting was taking place in and around Gulyaipole.
Analysts from DeepState told reporters that Ukrainian troops continued to hold positions in some parts of Gulyaipole. However, they said this was now a “gray zone”, where the Russians had significantly more personnel.
The analysts also added that strengthening positions in the city was difficult due to its low altitude. “Ukrainian troops could only remain in the western part of Gulyaipole. Under these circumstances, Gulyaipole, like Pokrovsk, may already be effectively captured. These troops have held their positions for a long time and have suffered extremely heavy losses in recent months, but have not been sent to the rear for rest and recovery,“ analysts from The Conflict Intelligence Team told reporters.
Earlier, analysts from the monitoring project DeepState reported that Gulyaipole in Zaporizhia region is located in a lowland, and the terrain makes defensive actions difficult. They noted that Ukrainian defense forces continue to hold positions in most of the city.
The analysts said that Gulyaipole is completely in the “gray zone“, because the enemy, like Ukrainian forces, is present practically everywhere.