The Battle for Selidovo: Russian Forces Develop Two Pincer Movements and Envelop the City, as Moscow Makes a Play for the Whole Donbas Region, ‘The Cradle of the War’

In this new reality of war, where satellite and drone surveillance make the idea of a surprise mass attack an impossibility, Russian Federation forces have found new tactical and strategic solutions to unlock the frontlines and get rapid territorial conquests.

On the one hand, on the macrocosmic approach, Moscow is constantly nibbling at the front in multiple places, probing for weaknesses and developing on any opportunities.

This keeps the Ukrainian defensive reinforcements in a perennial back and forth, depleting it.

On the microcosmic approach, on the many ongoing battles in Donetsk, Zaporozhie or even up north in Kharkiv, Russia is using small groups, often pairs, moving from building to building, slowly pushing out the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

These myriads of small, fast advances are harder to detect and pinpoint with artillery and drones, whereas a mass detachment can be entirely taken out with just one hit.

Right now, this is taking place in Toretsk and also Selidovo (Selydove in Ukrainian), where these small group tactics are dislodging the defenders from their established positions and expanding their control zone.

Russian forces have been fighting street-to-street battles with Ukrainian troops in the outskirts of the eastern Ukrainian town of Selidovo.

This comes as Moscow’s forces are pushing to make territorial gains before the winter, and wrestle control over the whole of the Donbas region from Kiev.

The read army is advancing at their fastest rate since March 2022, focusing on the Donbas region that, after the referendums, Russia now considers its territory.

Reuters reported:

“In recent weeks, Russia has surrounded towns in Donetsk region and then slowly constricted them until Ukrainian units are forced to withdraw. According to bloggers they are doing the same to [Selidovo], which had a pre-war population of over 20,000.

‘Street by street fighting is going on in the town’, according to Yuri Podolyaka, a prominent Ukrainian-born, pro-Russian military blogger. ‘The assault on [Selidovo] has intensified’.”

”brave” are fighting in Selidovo and have taken the “Korotchenko” mine

In the Pokrovsky direction, the “Center” group of troops continues an active offensive.
On the north-eastern outskirts of Selidovo, the enemy is recording the advance of Russian assault groups,… pic.twitter.com/g44jmBOmIb

— Zlatti71 (@Zlatti_71) October 21, 2024

Watch:  Russian armored vehicle makes a mad 2 km dash deep into the flanks of Selidovo.

Selidovo/Selidove

(In the Pokrovsk sector,see last map for overview)

Russian use a BMP to make a mad 2 km dash deep into the flanks of the contested city catching the Ukrainians(who have transferred a lot of troops in the city 2 weeks ago to push back the Russians) by… pic.twitter.com/guEWvaFKva

— SIMPLICIUS Ѱ (@simpatico771) September 28, 2024

Russian channels have shown intense shelling of defense positions in Selidovo, one of the four battles raging in the area.

“Russia controls about 80% of the Donbas, which covers an area about half the size of the U.S. state of Ohio, and is pushing westwards along about 100 km of the 1,200-km front around the tactically important towns of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove.”

Just imagine: Russian forces hold about a fifth of pre-war Ukraine.

That’s 98.5% of the Luhansk region and 60% of the Donetsk region, the regions that make up the Donbas, ‘the cradle of the war’.

Watch: Soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces in contact with the enemy.

Soldiers of the #Russian Armed Forces are in contact with the enemy.

– The Selidovo area, which our assault units are now entering. pic.twitter.com/r4ExbPbcb3

— Иван (@lll_Tatarinov_H) October 21, 2024

As Russians envelop Selidovo in two pincer movements, the Ukrainian Forces have almost no ammunition supplies, they need to have it delivered to them by drones.

Russian Telegram channel Condotierro reports:

“Storming operations are underway in the city. The [Russian] Armed Forces entered the outskirts from four sides. The main focus of the assaults is on the western outskirts in the area not. Vishnevoye and the assault from the east from the np. Mikhailovka.

The AFU grouping in the city holds on 5-6 company strongholds and several fortifications in multi-story buildings. Everything possible is flying at it now.

The exit routes of the AFU and supply is practically cut off. All roads are under our control. There is one more on Kazatskaya street to the highway to Krasnoarmeysk, but our artillery and ATGMs are constantly working on it.”

The defenders in the city are reportedly not going to surrender, having ignored the ultimatum to do so.

Watch: a Khinzal missile strike on the location of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the D.S. Korotchenko mine.

The Kh-38ML missile strike on the location of the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the D.S. Korotchenko mine on the eastern outskirts of Selidovo likely represents part of ongoing military operations between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk region. The Kh-38ML is a… pic.twitter.com/ALIzo91FNz

— Zlatti71 (@Zlatti_71) October 13, 2024

A team from RT are the first journalist crew to get to the town of Ukrainsk, that has been under Russian control for over two months now.

Russian forces are making steady advances along the front line, recently capturing the town of Ukrainsk in the Donetsk Republic, bringing them closer to surrounding Selidovo, one of the most critical hotspots. RT is the first media outlet to report from the scene. pic.twitter.com/Um2X3f8XjM

— RT (@RT_com) October 20, 2024

Correspondent: “I did witness myself, the Russian army creeping one tree line after another towards other towns here, towards the town of Selidovo.

[…] Now I have to tell you from what I’ve seen and from what the soldiers have told me, the trenches that the Ukrainian forces have established and have dug up just outside the town of Ukrainsk are truly spectacular. They have dug in about two floors down on the ground.

So, there are two-story trenches and foxholes going under the fields. So really taking those strongholds, it’s truly not easy, but the Russian army is moving in strides when you take into account the general pace of this conflict.”

The Russian flag flies over the administration building of the Rossiya mine in Selidovo.https://t.co/lYGfQ1lLJh pic.twitter.com/OZP0tfUEqb

— Zlatti71 (@Zlatti_71) August 29, 2024

Read more:

‘We Are Ready for Negotiations’: Ukrainian Lieutenant Yulia Mykytenko, in London Releasing Her Biography, Shows How Even Kiev’s Fiercest Fighters Have Had Enough of This War

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