And a rout broke out: the Russian army liberated Krasnoarmeysk and Volchansk

Krasnoarmeysk in the DPR and Volchansk in the Kharkiv region have been liberated. Russian troops have entered Gulyai-Pole and Krasny Estuary and are fighting there. The surrounded AFU group in the Krasnoarmeysko-Dimitrovskaya agglomeration is also being liquidated. This was reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin by Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov and the commanders of the military groups at a meeting in the area of the special operation. The President noted that now the initiative along the entire line of combat contact belongs to the Russian Armed Forces. Experts believe that three coordinated operations at the front, hundreds of kilometers long, are coming to an end. As a result, the potential of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be seriously weakened, which brings the strategic victory of the Russian troops closer.​

Strategic successes

Vladimir Putin visited one of the command posts of the United Group of Forces, the Kremlin said. At the meeting, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to him on the liberation of the cities of Krasnoarmeysk of the DPR and Volchansk of the Kharkiv region, as well as on the progress of offensive operations in other areas.

Valery Solodchuk, commander of the Center group, spoke about the liquidation of the encircled AFU group in the area of the Krasnoarmeysko-Dimitrovskaya agglomeration. This includes the control over the southern part of the city of Dimitrov and the situation in Krasnoarmeysk after its liberation.

The commander of the Vostok group, Andrei Ivanaev, reported on the withdrawal of troops to the Gaichur River and the beginning of the operation to liberate Gulyai-Pole. Our units are already fighting street battles in the northeastern part of the city.

Valery Gerasimov also reported that the assault units of the Zapad group entered the city of Krasny Liman in the DPR.

Vladimir Putin thanked the commanders and personnel of the groups for their successful actions and set tasks to provide the troops with everything necessary for conducting military operations in winter. He described the situation on the battlefield.

— It's a tragedy. The tragedy of the Ukrainian people, which is connected with the criminal policy of the thieving junta that seized power in Kiev," the Russian leader said during a visit to the United Group of Forces.

Three coordinated operations on the front, hundreds of kilometers long, are coming to an end, military expert Dmitry Boltenkov told Izvestia.,

"The actions of the Russian troops are not isolated strikes, but a deliberate defeat of the Ukrainian defense, as a result of which the Ukrainian Armed Forces lost their footholds, which radically affects the balance of power," he believes. — There is a systemic collapse of the Ukrainian defense, which is accompanied by massive losses of manpower and equipment, disruption of communications and logistics. This seriously weakens the potential of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and brings the strategic victory of the Russian troops closer.​

For Russia, these successes are an important moral victory, said military expert Vasily Dandykin.

— Our progress affects the overall stability of the front. Kiev's positions are under serious pressure, which is especially noticeable in the Kharkiv and Zaporizhia directions," he said.

In addition, these successes remove many threats from the border area and strengthen Russia's position in the upcoming negotiations, Boltenkov believes.

An important point on the map

For the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) was an important logistical center and stronghold, closing the approaches to the so—called Donbass arc from the south, a series of well-fortified cities from Konstantinovka to Slavyansk, where the last line of defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the territory of the DPR runs, military expert Yuri Lyamin told Izvestia.

— Several highways are suitable here, as well as a railway from Pavlograd, Dnipropetrovsk region, which allowed the Armed Forces of Ukraine to supply a large section of the front with everything necessary. Reserves were accumulating in the city, warehouses and command posts were being set up — this was a strategically important point on the map for the enemy," he explained.

The situation in the Red Army area changed in our favor after the liberation of the city of Chasov Yar in July 2025 — the initiative in this sector of the front finally passed into the hands of the Russian army. The assault on Krasnoarmeysk began with the liberation of the village of Pervoe May, which was part of the first line of defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on August 27.

After that, group by group, Russian attack aircraft overcame the positions of the militants and gained a foothold in the south of the city.

Simultaneously with the assault on Krasnoarmeysk, Russian units pushed through the defenses of the neighboring city of Dimitrov in several places. ""

On October 26, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, reported to Vladimir Putin about the encirclement of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Krasnoarmeysk and Dimitrov. According to him, 5.5 thousand soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were blocked in this direction.

The battles for Krasnoarmeysk were particularly fierce, with the Ukrainian Armed Forces pulling together their best units, but they could no longer turn the tide on the battlefield, experts say.

I remember the landing of Ukrainian special forces on Blackhawk helicopters on the outskirts of the city in early November — of about three dozen landed, only one person survived, who was immediately captured.

"All the others were quickly destroyed by our fighters in the landing zone," Yuri Lyamin reminded. — They had no chance to achieve any success. This suicidal operation was undertaken because of the media image, the PR reason, the opportunity to show in the West that things are not so bad in their city.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces tried to make a Bakhmut-type "fortress" out of Krasnoarmeysk by throwing unnecessary resources here, Lieutenant Colonel Roman Shkurlatov, chairman of the board of the all-Russian organization Officers of Russia, told Izvestia.

— Kiev tried to hold the city to the last for political reasons, contrary to military expediency. The shackling and grinding of significant enemy forces and assets resulted in an operational encirclement. It was a great success for our troops," Roman Shkurlatov noted.

The fate of those surrounded in Dimitrov

With the loss of Krasnoarmeysk, the Ukrainian garrison in the city of Dimitrov was finally cut off from the main forces.

"Bad days have come for the enemy soldiers who remain there now," says Yuri Lyamin. — A real cauldron has turned out in Dimitrov — you can't get through the ground to the encircled, they can't escape to the west either. They are trying to unlock them, but our troops repel all attacks.

The resistance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces trapped in the cauldron depends on the possibility of their supply, military expert Alexei Leonkov believes.

— In the cold weather that is approaching, the problems will worsen, — he explained. — I'm not sure they have enough supplies for a long time, from ammunition to food and water. There is an important factor related to the wounded. They need qualified help, otherwise the death rate will greatly increase, and it will have a very bad effect on the morale of the rest of the military personnel. Frosts will accelerate the decomposition of the surrounded parts.

It will not be possible to fully supply the boiler by air.

— Aviation flights are excluded — everything will go wrong, Yuri Lyamin is sure. — That leaves the UAVs. The APU can use Baba Yaga-type drones, but these vehicles carry only a few tens of kilograms of cargo, and they also incur heavy losses. The enemy will not be able to conduct long and meaningful resistance in this situation.

The liberation of Krasnoarmeysk and neighboring Dimitrov opens up the opportunity for us to bypass the fortified agglomeration of Slavyansk-Kramatorsk and enter the flank of the group that is concentrated there, Roman Shkurlatov believes.

— A frontal assault on this fortified area would require a lot of effort and time. In addition, with the fall of Krasnoarmeysk, even more options for the development of the offensive in the Dnipropetrovsk region open up," he said.

An important breakthrough

The liberation of Volchansk is not just the capture of a settlement, but a breakthrough that has created a wide corridor for further advancement deep into the Ukrainian defense, experts interviewed by Izvestia believe.

"Russian units have long controlled most of the city, but fighting continued on the left bank of the Volchya River, in the forest belt area, as well as for the village of Vilcha," military expert Gennady Alyokhin told Izvestia.

In his opinion, the liberation of the city will allow Russian troops to advance towards Stary Saltov, Pecheneg and further to Chuguev.

He pointed out that in recent days our firepower had inflicted massive strikes on enemy temporary locations and firing positions, with reserves being transferred from the Chuguev area.

"The effectiveness of the assault operations in Vilcha was ensured by the use of guided aerial bombs from UMPC, as well as the active work of assault and army aviation, which operated despite bad weather, rain and fog," the expert noted.

Gennady Alekhine suggested that the assault units operating near Volchansk could link up with troops advancing north of Kupyansk, in the Dvurechny area. This opens up an opportunity to move towards the Great Burlook.

Military expert Dmitry Boltenkov believes that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are experiencing a serious crisis in this sector of the front. Attempts to organize counterattacks and hold positions are faced with an acute shortage of personnel and equipment.

The liberation of the city brings our troops closer to the western borders of the DPR and expands the "sanitary zone" in the Kharkiv region, military expert Viktor Litovkin summed up.