MARIA SENOVILLA/EPA
Ukrainian soldiers injured on the front line in Donetsk.
With an advantage, Russian troops are approaching: they are just two kilometers away from surrounding Ukrainian troops in several villages. “The situation is the result of inaction or unclear actions by the Donetsk Operational Tactical Group.”
The head of the Operational Tactical Group responsible for the Donetsk region, Oleksandr Lutsenkowas fired this Friday due to the “critical situation” of Ukrainian troops in the city of Kurakhovaccording to Ukrainian deputy Mariana Bezugla and the DeepState platform.
“General Lutsenko has been dismissed from his position as commander of the Donetsk Operational Tactical Group. This command concerns the defense of all directions of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove, including the protection of Pokrovsk and the fight against Russian offensives towards Zaporijia and Dnipro”, stated the Ukrainian deputy on the social network X.
Bezugla also added that the General Tarnavskyi will be the replacement for the former commander of the Operational Tactical Group.
“The new commander is General Tarnavskyi. Although he does not belong to the younger generation, he has experience in the successful Kharkiv and Kherson offensive operations, as well as the unsuccessful southern counteroffensive in 2023,” he said.
“The situation is critical for everyone except [Oleksandr] Lutsenko, former commander of the Donetsk Operational Tactical Group. [Lutsenko] was removed from his position and transferred to the Land Forces Command,” according to Ukrainian war analytics platform DeepState.
However, Lutsenko’s replacement has not yet been officially confirmed.
Russia at an advantage: risk of siege in several towns
According to the Ukrainian War Analytics Platform, the Russian troops are approaching of Ukrainian troops defending the towns of Ganivka, Romanivka, Trudove and Uspenivka, south of Kurakhove.
Ukrainian forces are actively fighting to maintain their positions, but the situation remains difficult due to significant Russian advantage.
According to DeepState, the lack of coordination represents a siege risk for units of the Ukrainian defense forces in several settlements simultaneously.
“The current situation is the result of inaction or unclear actions of the Donetsk Operational Tactical Group. The Russians are conquering more territory directly in Uspenivka, threatening to close the zone and isolate Ukrainian defense force units in Hannivka, Uspenivka, Trudove, Veselyi Hai and Romanivka.”
Russian forces have the roads in the area under fire control and are about two kilometers from surrounding Ukrainian troops who defend the region.
After more than a year of offensive, Russia has been accelerating its advances in the Donetsk region and now has the cities of Pokrovsk and Kurakhovsk as its priorities.
