There are many indications that to the north-east of Zaporozh city-fortress Hulaipole, the Russian “East” group commanded by General Andrei Ivanev to teardrop down the front.
In the shadow of the conflict of Pokrowsk, the Russian “East” group laboriously, but consistently, pushed Ukrainian troops west of the city of Wielka Nowosiołka. About a period ago, the Russians rejected the Ukrainians behind the Janczur River. On the right bank there is almost a uniform construction belt of larger and smaller villages, creating a circumstantial “rural agglomeration”. The largest of them, Pawliwka and Uspieniwka, were utilized as a base for the construction by Ukrainian engineering troops and bomb squads of reinforced areas. The river became a routing of Ukrainian oborny, based on which, and built fortifications, they tried to halt Russian troops.
On 9 November 2025, soldiers of the Russian 37th Independent firearm Brigade Mechanized with the 36th Military Army captured the last of these villages – Rybne. The battalions of the Ukrainian 110 Mechanized Brigade departed to the west, and the Russians went into pursuit. On November 10, OSINT's information and materials were sprinkled, indicating the rupture of the Ukrainian front.
On 7 November, troops of the Russian 218 Guarded Armoured Regiment of 127th firearm Division mechanized with the support of the 60th firearm Brigade Mechanized from the 5th National Army, after 2 weeks of dense fighting, captured the vast village of Uspienovka, as well as the fortifications of the Uspienovsky Reinforced District. Defending the battalions of the Ukrainian 260 Territorial Defence Brigade and the battalion of the 142 Mechanized Brigade retreated to the fresh lines of defence.
The Russian 218 Guards of the Armored Regiment went into pursuit and entered the village of Solodkie, lying 5 km away. On the Russian battleships, on the afternoon of 8 November, a counterattack of the Ukrainian 105th Territorial Defence Brigade fell. In this situation, the command of the Russian 5th Guarded Military Army requested the support of the aircraft of the 11th Air Army and this series of bombings, carried out by the Su-34 tactical bombers by means of flying bombs guided by satellites, decimated the counterattacking Ukrainians.
Additionally, the 218 Guarded Armoured Regiment tankers in the assault on Solodkie were supported by guards from the 394 Guarded firearm Regiment Mechanized Sister 127 Squadron of Mechanized Rifles, which settled the clash in favour of the Russians. On November 10, the village was in Russian hands and a movie with Russian flags was presented in various buildings allowing geolocation.
In parallel, the 3rd regiment of the 127th Division of Mechanized Rifles (114th Regiment of Mechanized Rifles) besides went to the attack and captured the village of Nowoje, rejecting the battalion of the Ukrainian 260 Territorial Defence Brigade westward, to the village of Rivnopoil. The 5th Guarded Military Army in 3 days broke the front of the 20th Army Corps in a 20 km strip, to a depth of 10 km.
The success of the Russian troops provided a hurricane supporting fire attacking regiments of the 127th firearm Division, 305 Artillery Brigade.
Importantly, the Russians in the attack lane gained control in the air of the alleged "small aviation", or drones. Russian drone operators overpowered the positions of Ukrainian drone operators, in addition to which they "hunted" Mi-28NM assault helicopters with Ch-39 rockets (LMUR "Zideles-305). It was not without importance that the 11th Air Army support was strong and a crucial numerical advantage of attacking Russian troops.
General Ivanaev follows the rules of martial arts, maneuvering, concentration of forces and resources on the breach section, surprise and attack with support of artillery, aviation and drones. Ukrainian command in the east of Hulaipol, or 20 Army Corps seems to have lost control of its own units and chaos has entered.
The Ukrainian upper-level command directed the reserves here, introduced 122 and 105 Territorial Defence Brigades into the fight, and the 23rd National defender Brigade is urgently approaching. However, the deficiency of coordination has not yet allowed the front line to be stabilized.
General Ivanaev in breach made by regiments of the 127th Division of Mechanized Rifles may throw a second throw of the 5th Army, in the form of 60 and 57th Armed firearm Brigades.
On the right wing, the 37th Independent firearm Brigade Mechanized with the 29th National Military Army can support the 5th Guards Independent Armoured Brigade, which is in the detachment of the East Group.
It seems that despite the autumn razputica, Russian pancerno-mechanized columns under the cover of drones will shortly appear on the outskirts of the strategically very crucial city of Hulaipole from the side from which no defenders and fortifiers expected, due to the fact that from the north-east.
So far, Russian soldiers from the Far East are heading west, and General Andrei Ivanev is clearly rolling the front in Zaporozh.
Krzysztof Podgórski