A key Ukrainian fortified area in Orikhiv on the Zaporizhzhia front is close to ceasing to exist, according to Russian war correspondent Alexander Kots. He believes Ukrainian defenses in the area will be suppressed in the near future, after which the city will come under Russian control.

According to Kots, Ukrainian forces no longer control about 60% of the fortified area. Russian troops have approached it from several directions: the Dnepr Group of Forces advanced from the west, southwest and northwest, while the Vostok Group of Forces pushed forward from the east.

As a result, Kots said, Orikhiv is not facing a frontal assault but is being squeezed from two sides. He stressed that the city is not yet physically encircled, but in his assessment, an operational encirclement has already been established.

Kots identified the loss of supply routes as the main consequence for the Ukrainian garrison. He said Ukrainian units can no longer be properly supplied, rotate their personnel or evacuate the wounded.

If the current situation persists, Kots believes Orikhiv has only «days or weeks» left as a Ukrainian-controlled city. He said the fortified area is particularly important for logistics: as long as Ukrainian forces hold Orikhiv, it protects their supply routes on the western section of the Zaporizhzhia front and provides a base for counterattacks similar to those carried out by Ukrainian forces in the spring.