Recent days saw multiple reports on the liberation of settlements from Russian occupation in Ukraine’s northeast and south.
Last night, Ukraine’s Operational Command South reported the liberation of eight settlements in Kherson Oblast’s north:
“As a result of a carefully planned and brilliantly implemented military operation to liberate the territories of Kherson Oblast from occupation, our units liberated, consolidated, and restored the state flag of Ukraine in Liubymivka, Khreshchenivka, Zolota Balka, Biliaivka, Ukrainka, Velyka and Mala Oleksandrivka, as well as in Davydiv Brid in Beryslav district. In various sections of the front, it was possible to deepen from 10 to 20 km.”
The current Ukrainian operation in the north of Kherson Oblast activated a few days ago with official accounts keeping silent on the developments in the south, while Ukrainian soldiers were publishing footage from newly de-occupied settlements and Russian “military bloggers” disseminated messages about the Russian retreat in the area:
Ukraine breaks through Russian defenses in Kherson Oblast’s north – media (updated)
The October 4 afternoon update on pro-Russian map maker Rybar’s map showed huge Ukrainian advancement along the 50-plus-kilometer wide front:
Ukrainian advance in the Kherson region between 11:00 am and 3 pm pm today.
They are on a roll right now.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 4, 2022
A number of videos and photos from the liberated settlements emerged on Ukrainian social media during the day.
Liberated Mala Oleksandrivka, Kherson Oblast:
https://twitter.com/TpyxaNews/status/1577367384838520852
Liberated Velyka Oleksandrivka:
https://twitter.com/Gulli_ver_sn/status/1577297940485443587
Liberated Davydiv Brid, one of major nodes of the Russian defenses in the area:
Ukraine's forces reportedly de-occupied a number of settlements in Kherson Oblast
In videos shared online, Ukrainian defenders report the de-occupation of Davydiv Brid, Starosillia, Arkhanhelsk, Velyka Oleksandrivka pic.twitter.com/0TNj3bJPAB
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) October 4, 2022
The soldier of the Kryvyi Rih 129th territorial defense brigade says in this video that they have liberated Starosillia, Novodmytrivka, Mala Oleksandrivka, Velyka Oleksandrivka as of the 4 October evening:
https://twitter.com/kharkiv_warnews/status/1577349664768245763
The unofficial reports also mentioned the liberation of the following settlements as liberated:
- Starosillia
- Blakytne
- Novovoskresenske
- Novomykolaivka
- Novopetrivka
- Dudchany
This video was recorded in Novodmytrivka, Kherson Oblast:
https://twitter.com/Deepstate_UA/status/1577320438484590592
The DeepState map updates based on the geolocated photos and videos show the dynamics of the Ukrainian offensive in the northern part of Kherson Oblast:
Ukrainian advancement in the north of Kherson Oblast on 1-5 October 2022 (data: https://t.co/89izmuv5SZ) pic.twitter.com/QpiVJP39hn
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) October 5, 2022
Not only Kherson: northeastern counteroffensive continues as well
It was not only Kherson where the Russian defenses collapsed: in September Russia saw its entire front collapse in Kharkiv Oblast.
In the course of one month, Russia's front has collapsed in two locations. The Ukrainian Army has almost deoccupied all of Kharkiv Oblast and is making inroads into Kherson pic.twitter.com/peEPd7kAHv
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) October 5, 2022
As Ukrainian troops have been consolidating the huge liberated part of Kharkiv Oblast, the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the area slowed down but didn’t stop. Later in September, the Ukrainian troops liberated Donetsk’s city of Lyman southeast of Kharkiv Oblast and continued advancement to the east beyond the Oskil river.
Currently, the Ukrainian forces continue to liberate more settlements in the extreme east of Kharkiv Oblast, and extended their advancement to the northwest of Ukraine’s easternmost Luhansk Oblast.
Yesterday, September 4, videos emerged confirming the liberation of Kharkiv’s Bohuslavka, Borova, and Borovska Andriivka.
Ukraine's 5th battalion of the National Guard has entered Borova town in the east of Kharkiv Oblast, the video shows
"Borova is in our home colors, no more aquafresh [russian flag] here," the soldier says. The town was reportedly liberated yesterday. https://t.co/luk8Nz1u9h pic.twitter.com/QyHjbVJCN4
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) October 5, 2022
Bohuslavka:
Today Ukraine’s forces deoccupied Bohuslavka, Kharkiv Oblast
Ukrainian soldier shared video with the locals pic.twitter.com/AvzlP2ZHT3
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) October 4, 2022
Today, October 5, unofficial reports claim that the Ukrainian troops have liberated the first two villages in Luhansk Oblast’s Svatove district:
Ukraine's Kharkiv counteroffensive extends to Luhansk Oblast: two villages allegedly liberated – media
Footage shows that Ukrainian troops have allegedly reached the villages of Hrekivka and Makiivka in Luhansk Oblast's northwest.https://t.co/qXghVsIjQ0 pic.twitter.com/75OFXfAEdc
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) October 5, 2022
What’s next?
In Kherson Oblast, the maximum goal of the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive may be the liberation of the area of Kozatske to cut the Russian supplies via the Kakhovka bridges across the Dnipro. The Ukrainian rocket artillery forces have been conducting attacks on these bridges although Russia doesn’t leave its attempts to restore the crossing and improve the logistics of its troops stranded on the western bank of the Dnipro:
Without Russian access to Kozatske, the Russian forces on the Dnipro’s Western bank will be almost completely cut off from the rest of the occupied territory with only a few ferry crossings available across the Dnipro to supply and evacuate the troops.
The possible immediate goals of the ongoing offensive may be district centers of Troitske and/or Svatove in Luhansk Oblast to cut off Russia’s shortest supply route of the occupied metropolitan area of Rubizhne-Sievierodonetsk-Lysychansk:
Troitske has not only the highway connecting Sievierodonetsk to Russia but also the only railway line available to the Russian forces to supply the entire northern half of Luhansk Oblast (the wailway is marked as the white line going via Troitske-Bilokurakyne-Starobilask-Novoaidar on the map above).