However, despite the necessity of such maneuvers by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the situation in this area of the front remains under control.
This was stated by military expert Roman Svitan during a broadcast on "Current Time." He notes that the retreat of Ukrainian units currently ranges from one to three kilometers, but there has been no breakthrough at the front, which would indicate a catastrophic collapse of the defense line. However, the expert warns of the danger of a potential encirclement of the Kurakhove group of Ukrainian forces if Russian troops succeed in cutting off the main supply lines from Zaporizhzhia.
"A collapse occurs when there is a breakthrough at the front to an operational depth of several dozen kilometers. Right now, our troops are retreating by about one, two, or three kilometers," the expert explains.
Svitan emphasizes that the advance of Russian forces is slow due to the operational actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces command, which is attempting to hold back their offensive in this area. In his opinion, Russian troops are trying to attack simultaneously from the north and south to cut off the Kurakhove grouping and force Ukrainian forces to retreat to a more even defense line, specifically along the line of Bohdanivka - Pokrovsk.
Regarding the administrative borders of the Donetsk region, the expert is convinced that the Russians will not reach them in the coming years. The northwestern and northern areas of the region remain well fortified, and the enemy has still not managed to capture strategic cities such as Toretsk, Chasiv Yar, and the urban agglomeration of Druzhkivka-Slavyansk-Kramatorsk. Even in the event of a breakthrough near Pokrovsk, the enemy will be able to advance no further than Pavlohrad, which is about 80 km from Dnipro.
Roman Svitan also commented on the progress of the so-called Kursk operation, which aimed to divert Russian reserves from the Donbas. In his assessment, the operation has only partially fulfilled its mission. About 70,000 Russian troops are concentrated in the Pokrovsk direction, although only half of them are engaged in combat. If these reserves had been redirected to the Donbas, Russia could have already advanced into Pavlohrad.
Therefore, Svitan notes that the Kursk operation has served as a successful deterrent factor for the Russian army.