Russia reported this Tuesday that it took two cities in eastern Ukraineat a time when, according to data from open sources, Moscow’s forces are advancing at their fastest pace in at least a year, and with several signs that the conflict is attracting new actors such as North Korea.
The ukrainian warwhich began two and a half years ago, is entering its most dangerous phase, according to Russian analysts, as Moscow’s forces advance, North Korea sends troops to Russia and the West wonders how the conflict will end.
Russia said its forces took control of the city of Selidovewhich had a population of 20,000 before the war and which had been subject to continued attacks over the past week.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov also congratulated the 114th Russian motorized rifle brigade for the taking of Hirnikwhich before the war had more than 10,000 inhabitants and is located about 12 km from Selídove.
The Ukrainian military did not comment on the Russian claims, but reported 31 matches on the Pokrovsk front during the last 24 hours, including near Selidove.
The open-source Deep State intelligence map of Ukraine showed part of Selidove under Russian control, and about a third as a gray zone.
Several pro-war Russian bloggers said Moscow’s forces had breached Ukrainian defenses at key points along the front in southern Donbas. The Russian army is moving to surround the city of Kurajove and is preparing for an attack on Pokrovsk.
The fastest progress
The Russian army, ordered by President Vladimir Putin to enter Ukraine in February 2022advanced in September at its fastest pace since March 2022, according to data from open sources, despite Ukraine taking a part of Russia’s Kursk region.
But during the week of October 20 to 27Russia made even greater advances: it seized 196.1 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory, according to the Russian media group Agentstvo, which analyzed open-source Ukrainian maps.
“The Russian military has not had such a rapid weekly advance since at least the beginning of this year,” Agentstvo – which is considered by Russia to be a “foreign agent” – said on its Telegram channel.
Agentstvo clarified that it used raw data from the group of Ukrainian Deep State analysts to reach that conclusion, adding that Ukrainian defenses in Donbas had been weakened by kyiv’s decision to send troops to Russia’s Kursk region.
He advance of Moscow forceswhich control just under a fifth of Ukraine, has confirmed Russia’s vast numerical superiority in men and material, while Ukraine asks for more weapons from the Western allies that have been supporting it.
Russia controls Crimeawhich annexed Ukraine in 2014, about 80% of Hilly – a coal and steel zone comprising the Donetsk and Luhansk regions – and more than 70% of the regions of Zaporiyia and Jershon.
To control all of Donbas, Russia would have to take over another 10,000 km2 of territory.
The United States will not impose new limits on Ukraine’s use of American weapons if North Korea joins Russia’s war, the Pentagon said Monday, as NATO said North Korean military units had been deployed to Kursk.
The Pentagon estimated that 10,000 North Korean soldiers They had been deployed to Russia for training.
