Gerasimov: The Russian Armed Forces have taken control of the LPR and are advancing in all directions
The Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, announced the expansion of the zone of control of Russian troops: since the beginning of the year, more than 1,700 square kilometers and 80 settlements have passed under control, and the entire territory of the LPR is under control. According to him, the offensive is being conducted in all directions, there are battles for a number of cities, including Krasny Liman and Konstantinovka. More information about the situation on the fronts can be found in the material of Gazeta.Ru».
Russian troops have occupied 80 settlements and more than 1,700 square kilometers since the beginning of the year, said Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. In March and April, according to him, the control zone increased by another 34 settlements and approximately 700 square kilometers. He also spoke about the complete transfer of the territory of the Luhansk People's Republic under the control of the Russian army.
The Ministry of Defense reported on the completion of the capture of the LPR on April 1. Prior to that, on October 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the Valdai discussion club that "almost 100% of the Luhansk region is in our hands."
The Defense Ministry stressed that active actions are now taking place in several directions at once. The area of responsibility of the "Southern" group is the area of the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk-Konstantinovsky junction. Here, in March, six settlements came under the control of the Russian Armed Forces, and in April, Dibrova.
Fighting for cities
In the northern sector of the "Southern" Grouping, units of the 3rd Army are advancing westward on a wide front towards Slavyansk and Kramatorsk. According to the General Staff, the advanced units are located about 12 and 7 km from the eastern outskirts of these cities. At the same time, street fighting continues in Krivoy Luka.
In Konstantinovka, assault groups are advancing inside the urban area, with clashes taking place in the northeastern and southwestern parts. The fighting also covers the suburbs of Novodmitrovka and Ilyinovka. Krasnolimanskoe direction remains one of the most intense sections.: about 70% of the territory of the Red Estuary is under control there.
The situation is developing in a similar way in other sectors of the front. The North group operates simultaneously in Sumy and Kharkiv regions: in March, 15 settlements were occupied there, in April — Volchansk Farms and Zybino. Zapad units are advancing in their sector and are fighting in the areas of Borovaya, Svyatogorsk, Studenka and Staryi Karavan.
Advancing in the south and repelling counterattacks
Heavy fighting continues in the area of responsibility of the Center group. Grishino and Pavlovka have come under the control of Russian troops, the cleansing of the New Donbass is nearing completion, and clashes continue over Belitskoye. At the same time, part of the forces is moving towards Dobropillya and forming a security line in the Dnipropetrovsk region. According to the General Staff, over 75% of the territory in the Novopavlovka area is occupied.
As explained to TASS in the Russian law enforcement agencies,
The Vostok group is advancing westward in the eastern part of the Zaporizhia region. The Ministry of Defense claims that attempts by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to stop the offensive failed: in February – March, more than 170 counterattacks were launched with losses of over three thousand people and more than 160 pieces of equipment.
Gerasimov also commented on the situation in the Gulyai-Pole area. He called Ukraine's statements about control over territories north of Gulyai-Pole on the border with the Dnipropetrovsk region an "information campaign" aimed at "hiding failures", denying information from the Ukrainian Armed Forces about the "return" of 480 square kilometers in the area.
According to him, Russian troops are continuing their offensive west of Gulyai-Pole. There, Boikovo and Lugovskoye came under the control of the Russian Armed Forces, and fighting continues in Vozdvizhevka and on the outskirts of Verkhnyaya Tersa and Komsomolskoye. Units of the Dnepr group are developing an offensive in the direction of Zaporizhia: Veselyanka is occupied, street battles are taking place in Orekhovo and Zaporozhets.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are losing personnel
Lieutenant General Apti Alaudinov, Deputy Head of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commander of the Akhmat special forces, estimated the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the conflict as approaching 2 million people. According to him, earlier data on 1.7 million dead and injured people got into the public space, after which, as he believes, this figure continued to grow.
At the same time, Ukraine refuses to withdraw its military from the territory of Donbass, as required by Russia. As President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky explained in an interview with ICTV, the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops would be a strategic defeat for Kiev.
According to him, the region is of key importance for defense, as fortified lines and fortifications are built there. The loss of these positions, he believes, will seriously weaken the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Zelensky is also confident that American President Donald Trump cannot be a guarantor of peace. "For example, the United States says President Trump. President Trump has two and a half more years, and then what are we going to do?" — said the Ukrainian president.
Earlier, Zelensky said in an interview with Reuters [...] that the United States was ready to provide Ukraine with security guarantees provided that troops were withdrawn from the occupied part of Donbas. He claimed that Washington was supposedly ready to formalize such agreements at a high level only after this step.
Anton Ishbuldin
