**Russian Forces Fail to Outflank Ukraine’s Kurakhove**
Ukrainian forces have successfully defended against a Russian attempt to outflank their stronghold in Kurakhove, Donetsk Oblast. The Russians launched a series of attacks on the northern flank, hoping to capitalize on their high ground positions.
However, the Russian advance was funneled between two rivers, allowing Ukrainian forces to launch precise and devastating tank raids, catching the Russians in a bottleneck and eliminating them.
**Russian Forces Shift Strategy**
While the Russian offensive toward Kurakhove’s southern flank appears unpromising, their advance on the northern flank has allowed them to capture Berestky and initiate fighting for Sontsivka. Securing these settlements would enable Russia to form two axes of advance toward Stari Terny.
By capturing Stari Terny, Russia would be positioned to threaten and control the rear logistics of Kurakhove, particularly the highway passing through Dachne. The threat to this sole Ukrainian supply route would force Ukrainian forces at Kurakhove to withdraw to avoid encirclement.
**Practical Challenges for Russian Forces**
However, the axis of advance toward Berestky was highly impractical for Russian forces. Ukrainian troops positioned in the high-rise buildings of the Kurakhove Thermal Power Plant have observation points that allow them to monitor and target any Russian advance along the Berestky-Stari Terny road.
As a result, Russian forces shifted their focus to Sontsivka, as an advance on Stari Terny appeared more feasible from that direction. In the Sontsivka area, the Russians hold significant tactical advantages, including a direct route to the village via a highway and fire control over Ukrainian forces positioned in the lowlands.
**Natural Obstacles Hinder Russian Advance**
Despite these advantages, the Russians face natural obstacles in the form of the Strashny and Solona rivers. These two rivers converge in the village, hindering the Russian advance toward the southern part and creating a funnel that restricts tactical maneuverability.
This limits the Russians’ ability to outflank the Ukrainian positions, making their attacks predictable and easier to monitor and counter. Additionally, Ukrainian forces in the southern part of the village are positioned to effectively target Russian troops attempting to cross the rivers.
**Ukrainian Tank Raids Disrupt Russian Positions**
The Russian forces proceeded with their attack, and some units managed to enter the northern part of Sontsivka. However, this move placed them in a kill zone that had been carefully prepared by Ukrainian forces.
Once the Russians were effectively bottlenecked in northern Sontsivka, Ukrainian forces deployed T-64BV tanks to the north of the village to raid Russian positions. Combat footage from the area shows Ukrainian tanks targeting Russian troop concentrations in nearby buildings. The tank fire successfully eliminated these concentrations, and the tanks managed to withdraw under the cover of smoke screens created by their own fire.
**Russian Forces Face Predictable and Attritional Assaults**
Overall, the terrain configuration and lack of decisive tactical advantage at most of the northern flank of Kurakhove forced Russians on a predictable route of attack toward Sontsivka. The Ukrainians managed to counter this by effectively leveraging natural obstacles in the form of the rivers to their advantage.
Such circumstances give Russians no other options but to continue highly attritional frontal assaults on Kurakhove without any chance of a quick victory with an encirclement.
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