Russia Ukraine's southern front begins to falter
Following setbacks in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian army is also coming under increasing pressure on the southern front in the Zaporizhzhya region. The Army Group South announced on Facebook that "intense fighting has been raging for several days" on the Olexandrivka and Hulyaypole sections of the front. The Ukrainian troops were being pushed back using "all available types of weapons".
11.11.2025, 20:03
SDA
The army therefore had to withdraw from the towns of Novouspenivske, Nove, Okhotniche, Uspenivka and Novomykolayivka, north-east of the city of Hulyaypole. The towns of Jablukowe, Riwnopillja and Solodke are also heavily contested. The order to withdraw was given after the "de facto destruction of all shelters and fortifications" following intensive artillery fire. Around 2,000 shells were fired at the Ukrainian positions. According to the Ukrainians, this represents a retreat of around ten kilometers.
Russian interim target: Huljajpole
The aim of the Russian attack efforts is therefore to capture the small town of Hulyaypole from the east. In addition, supply routes to the north leading to Pokrovsk in the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region are to be cut off. The settlement, which is just over ten kilometers from the front line, is already regularly attacked by Russian drones and glide bombs.
Military observers had previously reported a Russian breakthrough on this section of the front line and the Russian army had claimed the conquest of several locations. The increasing thinning of the Ukrainian lines due to a severe shortage of soldiers and massive Russian drone superiority are seen as the cause of the Russian successes.
Ukrainian soldier shortage due to increasing desertion
In October, a new record was set for desertion and unauthorized absence from the troops, with over 20,000 cases registered with the public prosecutor's office. The number of unreported cases is believed to be much higher. At the same time, new images of forced recruitment in the Ukrainian hinterland are posted on social networks every day. These often fail due to the resistance of those affected and the solidarity of random passers-by. According to older information from July, Kiev can recruit up to 30,000 new soldiers every month.
According to earlier official information, the Ukrainian armed forces have a good one million men under arms. Only just over 200,000 are said to be deployed along the 1,200-kilometer-long front line. On the Russian side, however, between 600,000 and 700,000 soldiers are deployed in Ukraine, according to information from Moscow and Kiev. It is not known how many are fighting directly on the front line. However, the Kremlin has so far been able to avoid a general mobilization similar to that of Ukraine's opponent in the war, partly due to high monetary payments.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a Russian invasion for more than three and a half years. In the eastern Ukrainian regions of Kharkiv and Donetsk in particular, the Ukrainian armed forces have been slowly but steadily retreating under Russian pressure for months.
