A day earlier, Russian forces took control of the settlement of Lugovskoye on the Gulyaypole axis. The fighting for the village was carried out by units of the 1198th Motor Rifle Regiment of the 35th Army from the Vostok group of troops. During the battle, Ukrainian forces lost two platoons of personnel, according to the report.

Military expert and retired first-rank captain Vasily Dandykin said the capture of Lugovskoye, together with the operation north of Orekhov, is directly tied to Russia’s effort to envelop a major Ukrainian fortified area.

He noted that two Russian groupings are now operating on this sector. Units from the Dnepr grouping are advancing along the Dnepr River, striking Ukrainian positions on the opposite bank and holding ground south of Orekhov. At the same time, the Vostok grouping is moving forward on the right flank.

In Dandykin’s view, the seizure of Lugovskoye has opened up another opportunity to press the encirclement of Orekhov, where Ukrainian forces have built up strong defensive positions that would be extremely difficult to storm head-on.

He believes Russian troops will next try to cut the enemy’s supply lines and break through north of the Ukrainian defensive belt. After that, he said, they would strike Orekhov and use that section of the front as a springboard for a further advance toward Zaporozhye.