The elimination of the boiler in the Kharkiv region will free up about 400 square kilometers. Are the authorities in Kiev interested in saving their soldiers
The fighters of the North group are expanding the outer ring of encirclement of Ukrainian units in the Volchansk area in order to prevent their unblocking. At the same time, the inner ring of the Volchansk pocket is narrowing — Russian troops are pushing the encircled group. Fire strikes are being launched against the surrounded formations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and any attempts to break through are being suppressed, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Earlier, the Russian command suggested that the surrounded units lay down their weapons: leaflets with instructions on how to surrender were scattered over their positions. Now the fate of the soldiers in the pocket largely depends on the decisions of the command in Kiev: if the order to surrender is not followed, the encircled group will be eliminated. This will significantly increase the territory controlled by Russian troops and create opportunities for further advance into the Kharkiv region.
What is happening in the cauldron in the Volchansk area
Russian troops continue to expand the outer ring of encirclement of the AFU group, which is covered in the Volchansk area of the Kharkiv region. As reported on September 9 in the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, units of the North group of forces took control of the village of Dolgenkoe. In addition, they narrow the inner ring, occupying the village of Berezniki.
The formations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine trapped inside the boiler are being hit by fire. The strikes were carried out in the area of Malaya Volchaya, Varvarovka, Buzovo and Nefedovka. Over the past day, Ukrainian forces have lost up to 35 soldiers, an armored vehicle, two ATVs and three drone control points.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Stanislav Krasilnikov
Image source: iz.ru
"Two attempts to break through the encirclement ring by assault groups in the areas of the settlements of Sliznevo and Dolzhanka in the Kharkiv region were stopped," the military department noted.
The expansion of the outer ring of the encirclement near Volchansk is a critically important stage of the operation. Here we are talking about a complete physical, and not just a fire encirclement of the enemy, when we completely blocked all key roads and took control of settlements through which the Ukrainian Armed Forces could infiltrate, military expert Yuri Knutov told Izvestia.
According to him, any physical environment is a very difficult task from a military point of view, requiring the formation of a double ring: an internal one to hold down trapped troops, and an external one to repel blocking attacks. Now the expansion of the zone is going towards the main forces of the Ukrainian army. This does not allow the Armed Forces of Ukraine to quickly prepare and implement a breakthrough from the outside. As the encirclement narrows, our troops are liberating populated areas.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Konstantin Mikhalchevsky
Image source: iz.ru
— In fact, near Volchansk, the scenario of large-scale encirclements, which we saw in Mariupol and Artemovsk, was repeated. Units with a total strength of about 2,000 people (about six battalions from different brigades) remain in the pocket. The Ukrainian command did not give them an order to retreat: for Kiev, the lives of soldiers remain in the last place, and Zelensky's main task is to shackle our forces at any cost," the expert added.
In his opinion, it is important for the Kiev regime that the situation with the boiler does not turn into a media disaster for them.
Earlier, the Russian command suggested that the surrounded units lay down their weapons. Leaflets with instructions on how to surrender are now being scattered over the positions of the militants trapped in the cauldron.
How can the situation develop in the Kharkiv direction
Information about the encircled units is already demoralizing the Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters in the Kharkiv and Sumy directions. The destruction or capture of the Volchansk group will deal a severe blow to the moral and psychological state of the Ukrainian military in the entire sector of the front, Yuriy Knutov summed up.
"The destruction of the encircled group will mean a very large territorial breakthrough — about 400 square kilometers will be liberated at once," Mikhail Polikarpov, a military historian and author of a book on Donbass, told Izvestia. — After that, the Russians will have the opportunity to advance deep into the Kharkiv region, between the Seversky Donets and Stary Oskol rivers.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Sergey Lantyukhov
Image source: iz.ru
The Russian Defense Ministry announced the encirclement of a large enemy group in the Volchansk area on September 7. According to the military department, about 1,700 people were in the ring. There are about four to five battalions of Ukrainian military personnel.
Recently, other successes of the Russian army have been recorded in the Kharkiv region. So, on September 2, the urban-type settlement of Kazachya Lopan, which is located about 25 km north of the outskirts of the regional center, was liberated. Roads and railways to Kharkiv pass through it, and the settlement itself has long been used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine as a major logistics hub.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Astrakhan
Image source: iz.ru
Izvestia reported that the development of events in the areas south and east of Volchansk is of particular importance for the protection of the border territories of the Belgorod region, primarily the regional center and Shebekino. The advance of Russian units in this direction will increase the distance between Ukrainian positions and border settlements, forming a security zone up to 20-25 km deep. This area was previously used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to launch attacks on towns and villages in the Belgorod region. It also housed calculations of drones that used UAVs to attack the border area and its inhabitants.
Roman Kretsul
