New Ukrainian offensive is speeding up as they advance closer to Russia’s main hub

Today, there are important updates from the Komar direction.

Here, Ukrainian forces continued to break through and advance even further south of Komar, building on their previous advances and foothold in the town. While an information blackout from the Ukrainian high command is still in place for operational security reasons, Russians are reporting that Komar itself is still contested and their forces are trying to hold their ground and counterattack amid fierce fighting. Because of this, the Ukrainian commanders decided to bypass the village and turn the direction of their attack south.

Ukrainian forces advance west of the Mokri Yali River, which protects their left flank from Russian counterattacks. The Ukrainian soldiers are pushing toward Fedorivka and Vesele, while several Russian sources claim Fedorivka is already under Ukrainian control. Further south, Ukrainian forces are using the newly captured village of Shevchenko as a springboard and advancing toward Burlatske. Russian sources are reporting Ukrainian reconnaissance units operating near Burlatske, probing Russian defenses and mapping their positions in and around the settlement before attacking it. As a result of these new advances along two vectors, Ukrainians are now only seven kilometers away from Velyka Novosilka.

This is critical for the Russians because before the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Dnipropetrovsk area, the frontline was twenty-one kilometers away from Velyka Novosilka, which meant it was mostly out of the range of Ukrainian tube artillery. Now, Ukrainian artillery units can strike targets inside Velyka Novosilka and the logistical routes that the Russians are using to supply the town. Notably, Velyka Novosilka is the biggest town in this sector, which naturally serves as a logistical hub for the Russians. They can accumulate forces, armored vehicles, ammunition, and other supplies inside the town and redistribute them to their frontline units. Now, the town is fully in range of Ukrainian artillery, FPV, and bomber drones, which can disrupt Russian logistics. This will cause supply shortages northwest of the town, degrading the remaining Russian soldiers' ability to defend against ongoing Ukrainian counterattacks. More importantly, Ukrainian forces can now advance even further and directly threaten Velyka Novosilka.

If we take a look at the topographic map, we can see that Ukrainian forces are now partially controlling the high ground northwest of Velyka Novosilka. From this position, Ukraine can spread its forces out and capture the approaches to the town on the surrounding heights. As Velyka Novosilka is located in the lowlands, Ukraine can utilize the high ground to its advantage. The high ground serves as an excellent base for drone operators, who can launch their drones from a superior position, which provides better range through less battery consumption, better signal connection, and fewer blind spots.

After preparatory strikes by artillery, logistical lockdown by drones, and strong electronic warfare support to counter Russian drones, Ukrainian forces would be able to use the high ground and launch attacks from it. If their attacks continue to yield results south of Komar, Ukrainian forces would be able to attack Velyka Novosilka from the north and west at the same time, dividing the defenders' attention.

Overall, the real significance of these advances is that Ukraine is threatening to dismantle the Russian defensive system around Velyka Novosilka before launching a direct assault on the town itself. By targeting supply routes and securing the surrounding high ground, Ukrainian forces can gradually make it harder for Russian troops to reinforce their positions, coordinate their defense, and withstand further attacks. If Ukraine can maintain this momentum, Velyka Novosilka could become not just another battlefield objective, but a vulnerability that forces Russia to reconsider its entire position in this sector.