Ukrainian defenders in the south are fighting against three, and sometimes even four, Russian armies.
This was reported by Southern Defense Forces spokesperson Vladyslav Voloshyn during a televised briefing, in response to a question about what currently serves as the main indicator of stability in the southern defense.
“When people talk about successes in the south, I would like to emphasize that today the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the south are fighting against three, and sometimes four, Russian armies. The 5th, 29th, 35th, and 36th Russian armies are attempting to advance toward Huliaipole and seize control of certain settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region,” he said.
Voloshyn noted that a regrouping of the Russian forces is currently underway, as they aim to capture Huliaipole.
“In other words, three full sets of Russian units have essentially been ‘ground down’ by the Ukrainian Defense Forces here. The southern defenders are fighting heroically, and with every centimeter, meter, kilometer, the enemy loses not only territory but also significant numbers of personnel, weapons, and military equipment,” the spokesperson stated.
According to his data, in the south, Russian forces lose approximately 300–350 personnel and up to a hundred units of weapons and military equipment per day—“a very high price for every centimeter of our land.”
When asked how the open steppe terrain of the south affects Ukrainian defense, Voloshyn explained that the open terrain mainly impacts two directions: Huliaipole and Orikhiv.
“Here, the enemy first attempts to move assault groups’ personnel to forward positions and only then carries out assaults. Generally, the Russian 5th Army is fighting in these directions, and their main tactic is infiltration and assaults by small infantry groups,” he said.
He clarified that the Russians conduct these assaults in successive waves.
“The main objective is to prevent us from bringing in reinforcements, to deny time for resupply and logistics. That’s why the enemy first delivers massive strikes, destroys everything, and only then assaults in waves,” Voloshyn explained.
The spokesperson noted that the terrain in the Oleksandrivka direction is slightly different, as several rivers are present.
“There, the enemy is fighting with the 29th and 36th Armies. In addition to small infantry assault groups, they sometimes use mechanized columns. These usually consist of a mechanized platoon with several armored vehicles—tanks, combat vehicles, and transport trucks—moving ahead while the enemy assaults our positions and settlements,” he said.
Voloshyn added that the armored column attempts to break into a Ukrainian settlement, and afterward, sacrificing vehicles and weapons, the Russian infantry disperses.
“…Then it becomes quite difficult to drive them out of the settlement and carry out a clearing operation. This tactic is widespread in the Oleksandrivka direction, and the enemy is unwilling to abandon it. According to our intelligence, they continue to bring in armored vehicles to sustain these assaults,” the Southern Defense Forces spokesperson concluded.
