Ukrainian forces of the 35th Assault Brigade hold a trenchline East of the town of Pryvline.
Russian forces have continued their momentum West, after the capture of Novogorsk in Zaphoroziya Oblast Ukraine. With Russian Forces now approaching the central sections of the Dnieper river, portions of the Ukrainian frontline have begun to buckle under the weight of the massed Russian offensives. Vladimir Zelensky has spoken out on the need for increased security guarantees, and increased aid from NATO in their defense against Russia. He noted that Ukraine has exacted a heavy toll on the Russians in units that are equipped with Western weapons and equipment and if only they would send more, this success could be replicated across the entire frontline. Noting failures of less equipped units. However the reality on the ground is that across the board Ukraine has been getting pushed back, and in spite of Russian losses the Ukrainian Army has been in a bad spot for some time. The War despite its now reinvigorated pace is putting the smaller nation of Ukraine in a strained position where despite the will to resist, they can not be everywhere against the much larger and more ruthless Russian Army. Everywhere local success is gained, it is turned on its head by the exploitation of failure elsewhere.
Of note the failures in the battle of Novogorsk can be directly related to the failure of units at the tactical level leading to exploitation of the strategic, and in locations where Russian artillery has concentrated, breakthroughs have been all but certain. However Ukrainian Generals and Zelensky himself believe such a situation can be reversed by more equipment and the addition of donated American Aircraft to the Ukrainian air Force in an attempt to achieve air parity.
Ukrainian Forces taking shelter from a Russian Artillery barrage.
As for the situation on the ground AAN reporters have so far not been allowed to embed with Ukrainian forces for confidentiality and OPSEC reasons, as such the true story on the ground can only be speculated to, however the Ukrainian Armed Forces assures that for every Ukrainian, at least ten or more Russians has fallen, and to this it points toward bravo Company of the 35th Assault Brigade, noting their action in Novogorsk and now Pryvline have been the standard of Ukrainian forces in this war, not the exception. Noting their force alone has stopped a Battalion level attack on the small town, which is quickly turning into a major engagement area as tank formations from both sides are headed to the small picturesque village in what is looking to be the largest tank engagement of the war. Given the sheer scale of forces coming from both sides to the once unimportant region tell a tale of a truly decisive battle to come that may decide the fate of the entire Oblast.
With the defeat in Kursk, the failed attempt into Belgorod, and now the defeat in Zelenogorsk, the Ukrainian army needs a victory to not only rally behind, but to prove to its western backers that it does in fact have the capacity to see this war to a, if only marginally successful conclusion.
Ukrainian forces awaiting yet another Russian attack.
AAN News, reporting.