Ukrainian soldiers flee en masse from Kurakhove
In the Kurakhove combat zone, after many days of fierce fighting, the Russian army has made significant progress in two directions. The first direction is the city center area.
According to a report on November 30, the Russian 5th Brigade, supported by the 238th Artillery Brigade, used small-group assault tactics to break through the Ukrainian defenses in the city center after several days of fierce fighting. They entered the western part of the city, captured a school and raised the Russian flag, and approached the western industrial zone. In the process, they also captured three Ukrainian soldiers.
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| Ukrainian soldiers were spotted by a reconnaissance team at a forest plantation northeast of the city. Photo: Tass |
This tactic split the central area of Kurakhove in two, leaving the Ukrainian forces split into southern and northern parts. To avoid being defeated by the Russians, the Ukrainian army quickly retreated from the city center to the industrial area in the west.
Of course, the Ukrainian forces in the city center were not completely passive. According to observer Yuri Podolyaka on November 30, while retreating, the Ukrainian army also organized active counterattacks.
A large group of Ukrainian soldiers, supported by Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, launched several counterattacks on Russian-held high-rise buildings, but were all repelled. Military reporter Alexander Sladkov posted an aerial video of the battles in the city of Kurakhove, showing several destroyed Ukrainian armored vehicles and soldiers.
The second line of advance lies north of Kurakhove. According to a report from DeepState, on November 30, Russian assault teams penetrated several lines of defense established by the Ukrainian Army along the lakeside road, reached the eastern outskirts of the village of Stary Terny in the west, and began a battle to capture the village.
Four days earlier, the Ukrainian army had sent three battalions to the area along the lake road, hoping that they could stop the Russian advance. However, after only three or four days, the Russians had breached this line of defense. Based on the speed of the Russian advance, it was estimated that they would capture the village of Stary Terny in about a week.
This village is located on the supply line of the city of Kurakhove. This means that if the Russian army manages to cut this supply line, the fate of the city of Kurakhove will be in serious danger.
The situation has become extremely critical. Several Ukrainian news sites reported that many soldiers in the central area of Kurakhove had made a large-scale withdrawal along the only road in the west of the city without permission. However, they were heavily attacked by Russian artillery.
At the same time, the top Ukrainian leadership demanded that the forces in Kurakhove hold their positions at all costs and not retreat. To implement this order, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi began to reinforce the defense line from Kurakhove to Pokrovsk, known as the Southern Donbas defense line.
Because the Ukrainian army had previously transferred too many forces from Donbas to the Kursk region, but these forces suffered heavy losses in Kursk, Mr. Syrskyi was in a situation where he had no reserves to mobilize. In the end, he was forced to use the strategic reserve, which had been prepared for the battles next year, to save the situation in Kurakhove.
According to reports, the 157th Mechanized Brigade of Ukraine has been deployed in the direction of Kurakhove. This is one of seven new brigades created by Ukraine this year and directly trained by NATO.
The number of deserters in the Ukrainian army is growing, according to a report by the AP news agency. Officially accused deserters alone exceed 100,000 since the start of the war, while one Ukrainian lawmaker estimates that the real number of deserters could be as high as 200,000.
Russian army mobilized 59,000 troops, recaptured 40% of Kursk area
Recently, a high-ranking Ukrainian military source revealed that on the Kursk front, the Russian army has continuously increased its troops, bringing the total Russian troops here to 59,000. By the end of November, the Ukrainian army had lost 40% of the occupied area in Kursk. The source emphasized that the Russian army is still counterattacking strongly.
In fact, there are quite a few reports that the Ukrainian army is having a hard time holding out in Kursk. In other words, the Russian army is also intensifying its attacks on the Ukrainian army in Kursk. It seems that the Ukrainian army will not be able to hold out in Kursk for much longer.
Not long ago, in the occupied Kursk region, a Ukrainian army unit was trying to break through, but was ambushed by a Russian paratrooper regiment, causing many Ukrainian casualties. At the same time, in the sky, Russian Su-25 attack aircraft continuously intercepted Ukrainian evacuation and reinforcement convoys.
Unless the Ukrainian military can deploy enough advanced air defense systems to protect its supply lines and reinforce its defense brigades, it will be unable to hold the Kursk region it has captured. However, the Ukrainian military will withdraw completely from Kursk, which is expected to happen by the end of this year or early next year.
The most important thing for the Ukrainian military now is to determine its next strategy. How to conduct peace talks, if Mr. Trump supports it? How to conduct negotiations, if President Putin refuses to order a ceasefire? What to do without American aid and will they finally accept peace talks or continue fighting? The Ukrainian military now has to make a quick decision.
After all, from a military perspective, the fighting ability of the Ukrainian army is increasingly declining, soldiers are tired, demoralized, desertions are rampant, and there is a serious lack of firepower. Meanwhile, the fighting ability of the Russian army is increasingly stronger.
At present, the Ukrainian army gives the impression that it is on a passive defense, without a long-term strategy. The so-called “victory plan” turns out to be just an extension of attacks on Russian territory, with the aim of escalating the conflict and dragging NATO into trouble.
Involving NATO in Ukraine is also a pipe dream for Kiev’s leaders. If Ukraine wants a better outcome than it is now, there are actually two main ways it can do so. The first is to quickly negotiate peace with Russia on President Putin’s terms, not Trump’s.
Why is there more emphasis on complying with President Putin’s conditions than Mr. Trump’s? The reason is also very simple, the conditions for peace negotiations proposed by Mr. Putin are more realistic, including the concession of all four eastern Ukrainian provinces to Russia, the five permanent members of the United Nations jointly guaranteeing Ukraine’s security, and Ukraine not being allowed to join NATO.
This situation is almost the best the Ukrainian army can see and reach. After all, if Kiev does not agree to these conditions, it will continue to fight a long and arduous war, even a protracted resistance.
In contrast, the initial version of the truce plan proposed by Mr. Trump not only froze the front lines and banned Ukraine from NATO for 20 years, but also hoped that the United States would guarantee Ukraine's security through military support.
Ukraine receives new military aid package
TASS quoted sources as saying that the US is preparing to send military aid worth $725 million to Ukraine, including anti-UAV systems and ammunition for high-mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS).
Before the aid package was officially announced, it was not confirmed whether the ammunition for HIMARS would be the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS). However, Ukraine has repeatedly called on the US to provide more long-range missiles to strike targets deep inside Russia. The new weapons package also includes anti-personnel mines.
President Biden has previously pledged to spend all the military aid Congress approved earlier this year on Ukraine before his term ends on January 20, 2025, including about $7.1 billion worth of weapons taken from the Pentagon's stockpile.
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