Russian forces close in on Kurakhove as fighting intensifies

It is probably only a matter of time before the Russian troops take full control of Kurakhove in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, said a military expert in a television interview with China Media Group (CMG) aired on Tuesday.

The 5th Brigade of the 51st of the Combined Arms of the Southern Military District of the Russian Federation has entered the center of Kurakhove, said the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company on Monday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted on social media on the same day that the Ukrainian army was facing a difficult situation in the direction of Kurakhove.

Fierce fighting in Kurakhove has been going on for more than a month.

Kurakhove, for the Ukrainian armed forces, is an important stronghold, as well as a transport and railway hub where the Ukrainian army supplies its troops in the Donbass.

In addition, the city is the last fortified point from which Ukraine's barreled artillery can directly attack Donetsk.

For the Russian armed forces, Kurakhove is the largest city in southwestern Donbass that is still under the control of the Ukrainian army. The capture of Kurakhove would allow the Russian side to advance to Velyka Novosilka, the next important logistics hub of the Ukrainian army, while setting the stage for striking the Ukrainian-held Zaporizhzhia region from the east.

In the interview, Zhang Xuefeng, the military expert, pointed out that a Russian takeover of Kurakhove would be a further blow to the morale of the Ukrainian forces.

"There is information showing that it is probably only a matter of time before the Russian forces completely take control of Kurakhove, as they have already entered the center of Kurakhove. Once the Russian army takes full control of Kurakhove, it will once again hit the morale of the Ukrainian army and accelerate its defeat in the direction of eastern Ukraine. The ongoing ground conflicts, in the directions of both Kursk [in western Russian] and eastern Ukraine, are extremely unfavorable to Ukraine," Zhang said.

In the direction of Kursk in western Russia, about half of the area controlled by the Ukrainian forces has been recaptured by Russia, and in the direction of eastern Ukraine, the Russian army took control of an area of about 480 square kilometers in October alone, which was equivalent to the gains of the previous months. In particular, the Russian army's control of the town of Ugledar (or Vuhledar) is considered to be its biggest victory so far this year after seizing Avdiivka town near Donetsk, according to the expert.

Some even believe that it would be the end of Ukraine's defense in southern Donbass if Kurakhove is seized by Russia, according to Zhang.