Zelensky visits troops near Zaporizhzhia front as Russian pressure mounts

LONDON/KYIV, November 14 ------ President Volodymyr Zelensky visited troops near Ukraine's southeastern front warning of the need to shore up the lines after losing ground in increasingly high-intensity battles far from Russia's main offensive in the east.

Zelensky, whose government is reeling from a corruption scandal, said the situation near the village of Orikhiv was "one of the most difficult" on a sprawling front and that thwarting Russian forces there was key to shielding the city of Zaporizhzhia. "(Zaporizhzhia) is an important city, the enemy certainly wants it. We certainly have to defend it," he said, awarding medals to troops and discussing ways to strengthen the lines.

MANPOWER SHORTAGES

Neither side has made major breakthroughs on the battlefield since the first year of Russia's 2022 invasion. But Moscow's forces, which control 19% of Ukraine, have been on the offensive since late 2023 and have gradually edged forward. As Russian forces close in on capturing the city of Pokrovsk in the east and bear down on Kupiansk to the northeast, mounting pressure in the southeast is a new worry for Ukraine and its allies.

Earlier this week, in a display of unusual candor, top Ukrainian military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said the situation had "significantly worsened" in parts of the Zaporizhzhia region. Roughly half of Russia's frontline gains in the last two months have come around the southeastern settlements of Huliapole and Velyka Novosilka, said Konrad Muzyka, director of the Rochan military consultancy in Poland. "Although this is not the main Russian effort, Ukraine's shortage of manpower has allowed Russian forces to make tactically significant advances," he said.

The push west of Velyka Novosilka could threaten Huliapole from the north, he added. "If Ukraine does not address these gaps, Russian forces may push further west — not only moving closer to Zaporizhzhia but also risking the isolation of Ukrainian units in the south," he said.

Source: reuters.com