The situation near Avdiivka is critical: Zhyrokhov names the hottest spots on the front and assesses the prospects of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Map

On the Russian-Ukrainian front, the hottest battles are currently taking place at the Kupyansk, Lyman, Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions. The situation in the first three is complicated, and near Avdiivka it is critical, and it is impossible to predict the further development of events there due to many factors that affect them.

This was stated by military expert Mykhailo Zhyrokhov in an interview with OBOZ.UA. According to him, unlike the Bakhmut fortress, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have prospects and options in Avdiivka: if not to hold the entire city, then at least to retain some positions.

"As for what will happen next, everything will depend on many factors that cannot be predicted. And the Russians are advancing because they have reserves. And they have reserves for the offensive not only in Kupyansk, but also in Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Robotyno directions. They have recaptured some of the positions we took control of in the summer," he emphasized.

Zhyrokhov noted a fairly powerful recruitment system in the Russian army, which allows the enemy to be reinforced by contractors. Recently, Russia has been using Storm-Z units, an analog of the private military company Wagner, which are also formed from prisoners. Therefore, the occupiers have enough forces and means, they saved them during the summer fighting and "now they can attack in several more directions."

"So, the situation there is difficult. It's not as critical as near Avdiivka, but it's quite difficult. Actually, the soil and weather there are not so critical that it is impossible to advance with infantry groups. Artillery is less effective, drones can be used to a limited extent, but infantry groups advancing through the forest, unfortunately, have partial success," the expert said about the battles near Kupyansk, Lyman, Bakhmut and Robotyn.

Regarding Avdiivka, he emphasized that it is not worth thinking about the possibility of "surrendering" the city. In his opinion, unless a political decision is made, as was the case with Bakhmut, the Ukrainian Armed Forces still have options in Avdiivka.

"If not to hold, then to maintain certain positions," Zhyrokhov said.

He also added that he currently sees no opportunities to expand the Ukrainian bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson region, which could host a large landing operation. It is obvious that without heavy armored vehicles it is almost impossible to expand the bridgehead there.

"It's a territory that doesn't allow us to act strategically and enter any other space. Tactical local battles do not allow us to predict that in the near future it will become a hot spot that can be successful for the Ukrainian Defense Forces' offensive," the expert said.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, military expert Oleksii Melnyk believes that the encirclement of Avdiivka is not the main goal of Putin's army. In his opinion, Russian generals themselves are trying to report "good news" to the Kremlin, and Moscow is trying to convince the West that the war has "reached a dead end" by all means.

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