The situation in the Kurakhiv direction, in the Donetsk region, remains extremely tense, and military experts do not rule out the possibility of a retreat of Ukrainian troops. Mykhailo Zhirokhov, a military analyst, said on the air of Radio NV that at the moment it is not possible to talk about a positive development of events in this direction. Russian propagandists have already released a video of the flags in the center of the city of Kurakhove, however, according to an expert, this flag actually remained there for only a few hours. Zhirokhov warned that the situation with logistics in the Kurakhovo region is critical, and this may lead to the need for the retreat of Ukrainian troops.
If the occupiers are able to capture Kurakhove, Zhirokhov predicts that their next actions may be aimed at moving towards Kostyantynivka. This city, along with neighboring Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, are strategically important for Russia both from a military and media perspective. However, the analyst does not believe that the Russians will try to advance further into the territory of Ukraine, since it is important for them to consolidate on the already captured positions and strengthen control in the direction of Kurakhove-Kostyantynivka.
On November 22, analyst Julian Röpke reported that Russian troops had already captured about 25% of Kurakhovo. He emphasized that the situation in the city is absolutely critical for Ukrainian defenders, and this confirms the difficulty of defense. At the same time, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced that the Defense Forces will hold the defense as long as they can, hoping to hold the city.
In addition, in the area of Chasovoy Yar, the activation of enemy forces has been recorded, where the occupiers are gathering large groups and testing various tactics to break through Ukrainian defenses.
