Biletskyi said that Third Corps misled Russian forces into believing that the main Ukrainian thrust would move toward Shandryholove and Zelena Dolyna, drawing Russian reserves into counterattacks there while Ukraine struck toward Nove.
“This led them to senselessly burn through their reserves during counterattacks in this specific sector. The Russians missed the real strike,” Biletskyi added.
According to Bielieskov, this result undermines the Russian theory of victory, which he said “depended precisely on attempts to turn local advances in the Donetsk region into strategic successes.” He added: “The aim was to create the impression that Russia would inevitably take over the Donetsk region, thus raising the question: ‘What is the point of the West helping Ukraine, or Ukraine holding on to the region?’ »
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the broader situation on the battlefield on Sunday. “In total, this week, in all sectors of active combat operations on the front, our units neutralized 10,660 killed and wounded Russian soldiers,” he said. “Each such week on the front that becomes ours, that of Ukraine, in terms of the overall situation, prevents Russia from intensifying its offensive activities against Ukraine.”
The operation also sends a signal to the Trump administration, which has revived its efforts to end the war by turning to its special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. “Even American negotiators – like Kushner, who are not exactly known for being sympathetic to (Ukraine’s) cause – pointed out to Putin that his promise to quickly occupy the Donetsk region was not materializing,” Bielieskov said.
Although Ukrainian progress in the region has been independently documented by open source battlefield observers including DeepState, the Kremlin has insisted it has not suffered any setbacks.
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