Brief report from the front, January 16, 2025
The situation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kramatorsk-Slavyansk agglomeration is getting worse, by Marat Khairullin with illustrations by Mikhail Popov.
In Toretsk, the Russian armed forces are storming the last defense nodes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the north of the city. Fighting is taking place in the area of the mine industrial site in the northwest of the city (this mine is named after Matrona of Moscow), in the area of the Toretskugol enterprise motor depot (the area of the spoil heap of mine No. 12) and in the direction of the Fomikha mine. Assault actions have also begun in the direction of the enemy's last major defense node in the city - the Toretskaya mine.
The enemy, in fact, now primarily controls (not counting the Toretskaya mine) the spoil heap of the Fomikha mine and a small part of the residential sector near it. It can be argued that the enemy's further defense in the city will be short-lived, but quite fierce, since their loss of Toretsk provides our army with access to Konstantinovka. And given the latest changes in Chasovy Yar, where battles are beginning for the high-rise area - the last major area of the city's defense, which, along with the refractory plant, is a commanding height over a significant area, then this is already a threat to the enemy in the Kramatorsk-Slavyansk agglomeration. Also, consolidation of the obtained positions in the northwest of Toretsk will probably play an important role in the advance on the left flank of the Toretsk section.
In the Pokrovsk section, battles are underway for the settlement of Baranovka. Our units have advanced to it from the side of Vozdvizhenka (Vozdvyzhenka), having secured themselves in the plantings along the road. On the left flank, our troops entered the settlement of Kotlino (Kotlyne), where they have secured themselves in its southern part, located along the road to Pokrovsk and separated from the northern part of the settlement by the railroad and the plantings along it. During the fighting, Russian forces went beyond the railroad. Clashes are underway for complete control over the plantings and for the central part of the village.
Our armed forces have also advanced in the area between Kotlino and Udachnoe, having secured a foothold in the plantings north of the railway. In the area of the settlement of Udachnoe, the Russian Armed Forces continue fighting on the eastern outskirts of the settlement. Our soldiers have strengthened their position, expanding their zone of control east of the village.
In the area of the settlement of Uspenovka, fierce battles are taking place. The enemy is attempting to counterattack. Despite this, our units have advanced north of Uspenovka in the direction of the settlement of Novosergeevka.
In the Kurakhovo direction, the Russian Armed Forces continue to clear the Kurakhovsky pocket, where the enemy has been completely driven out of the area of sedimentary reservoirs, taking it under their control. Our military is also expanding their zone of control along the northern bank of the Sukhie Yaly River, where they have secured a foothold in a number of forest belts. At the same time, our main attention will probably be directed to the Andreevka-Konstantinopol (Kostyantynopil) section, an advance to which will leave the enemy no reason to continue sitting in this pocket, where its defense is already cracking at the seams.
In the Velikaya Novosyolka section, Russian units entered the settlement of Vremevka from the settlement of Neskuchnoe and consolidated their positions in its southern part. Clashes are already underway in the area of the entrance to the settlement from the Gulyaipole (Hulyaipole) side. Our fighters are gradually pushing the enemy into the northern part of Vremevka.
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No one has better map detail or better written descriptions of the SMO than Marat and Mikhail. I just wish I had a better grasp of the Cyrillic alphabet so the town names wouldn't be so confusing to me, especially when they have a Russian and a Ukrainian name for the same town. Not you guys fault, just this dumkopf American of Austrian descent, that speaks and understands English, Pensylvania Dutch and High German. There are three languages I would love to understand and speak and they are, Russian, Chinese and Spanish. I only have a very small understanding of Russian and Spanish and no clue on Chinese.
Having risen through the ranks from Armchair Lieutenant to Armchair General since the start of the SMO, 8 promotions in total (apparently a record which I'm modestly proud of). No need to bore you at present with the tales of self-sacrifice throughout, like running out of beer for what seemed like days.
I have one special piece of advice for when/if Putin sits down for talks with President Trumplethinskin -
Forward him directly, well in advance, a copy of Minsk 1/2 & Istanbul Accords and thereby nullify/kill any request for a face-saving 'olive branch' to take back home.
Non Negotiable, sign, here, here and here.
PS. Please don't take for granted that Trump has read those, in their entirety anyway. They don't call Trump, Grasshopper-Mind for nowt!
The Russians
They send signals from the rocks above the pass
The Americans
Take positions in the bushes smoking grass
But all they get is bitter
And a nasty little rash.
(Cool for Cats, SQUEEZE, edited )
PPS If the meeting appears in a stalemate, offer Trump , hotels in St Petersburg, Moscow and Sochi and a Golf Course in exchange for Odessa plus Tony Blinken.