Escalating Danger for Ukrainian Troops on the Gulyaypole Axis
Ukrainian analyst warns that Russian advances near Gulyaypole pose a greater threat than Pokrovsk, with fast flanking moves endangering the entire defensive line.
Ukrainian military analyst Konstantin Mashovets warns that the situation for the defending Ukrainian forces near Gulyaypole in the Zaporizhzhia region is turning even more precarious than the battles unfolding around Pokrovsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic.
Mashovets notes that a large Russian breakthrough in the Gulyaypole sector has created the risk of Russian units moving into the rear of the Ukrainian grouping stationed in Orekhov. At the same time, Russian forces are pushing toward the confluence of the Volchya and Gaichur rivers, opening the possibility of an assault on Andreyevka.
According to him, Russian advancement from two flanks threatens to envelop the entire Ukrainian garrison responsible for holding the Gulyaypole area. He considers the likelihood of such an encirclement scenario to be very high.
Mashovets draws particular attention to the speed of the Russian advance, which he estimates at roughly three kilometers per day-a pace he says significantly outstrips Russian progress on other parts of the front. Over a stretch exceeding 40 kilometers, Russian units are pressing forward in several directions at once, putting pressure along the entire Ukrainian defensive line.
He warns that if Ukrainian command fails to respond adequately to the deteriorating situation in this sector, the consequences could be far more serious than those currently observed near Pokrovsk.