Russian advance threatens encirclement of Selydove city

According to the fortnightly magazine Forbes, Russian troops are relentlessly pressing on Selydove, attempting to surround the city, which poses an obstacle to their main objective—capturing Pokrovsk.

On Saturday, Russian forces breached Ukrainian defensive lines and pushed south of Selydove. Russians advanced along an inactive railway line and reached the village of Vyshneve. If Putin's troops capture the settlement located west of Selydove, they will manage to partially encircle the city itself.

As the Ukrainian Centre for Defence Strategies states, Ukrainian troops are maintaining their positions in Vyshneve, but this position "may not be strong."

As "Forbes" emphasises, this is typical Russian tactics - partially surrounding a fortified position - in this case, a city - to force defenders to retreat. The magazine cites Vuhledar as an example of such an action.

"The fact that the Russians are on the outskirts of Vyshneve means that Ukrainians in Selydove are likely planning a retreat," it reads.

However, the main target remains Pokrovsk, located to the northwest. The city is an important axis of Ukrainian defence in the region.

The American magazine emphasises, however, that Pokrovsk is a much more challenging target than Selydove. "The Centre for Defence Strategies, therefore, believes that the city's defence will withstand the winter, and the upcoming battle for Pokrovsk will be the culmination of the enemy's offensive operation," it emphasised.

Gen. Ihor Romanenko assesses that the situation in Selydove itself is already critical, emphasizing that leaving the city may be the only option. The Russians are already breaching Ukrainian positions and organising further assaults.