The southern Ukrainian city of Melitopol plays an important role in Russia’s sub-network. Is Kiev already making preparations to win back the transport hub? The magazine “Forbes” sees a first indication of this.
According to a media report, the Ukrainian armed forces may be preparing for a counter-offensive in the Zaporizhia region. As the US magazine “Forbes” reports, Russian and Ukrainian guns fired on each other last Friday in the area around Huljajpole and Polohy. The two cities are just over 100 kilometers away from the strategically important transport hub of Melitopol.
Artillery duels are not uncommon in the area. But the reason for the battle was unusual, writes the magazine. Because according to Russian sources, Kiev is said to have gathered mechanized units around Huljajpole. The Russian artillery then opened fire.
The skirmish began when “Russian intelligence uncovered the movement of large mechanized forces of Ukrainian Armed Forces near the front lines,” noted Russian nationalist Igor Girkin wrote on Telegram. The information led to “massive artillery attacks on enemy positions and nearby rear areas in the Huljajpole area,” Girkin said. In return, the Ukrainian artillery targeted Polohy.
If the Russian information is correct, it could be a sign that Ukraine’s fourth counter-offensive is imminent despite the onset of winter, writes Forbes. The Ukrainian attack would probably aim to liberate large parts of southern Ukraine coming from the north and advance towards Crimea.
According to “Forbes” it is unclear which Ukrainian units may have moved into Huljajpole. According to this, the 65th Mechanized Brigade is also nearby, as is the 1st Armored Brigade. Since the spring, only brigade-sized units have been stationed on both sides along the Huljajpole-Polohy axis. A serious push on Melitopol would require more than a few brigades, however. At least half a dozen heavy brigades were involved in each of Ukraine’s previous counter-offensives near Kiev and in the Kharkiv and Cherson regions, the magazine writes.
According to Moscow, Ukrainian HIMARS rockets hit Melitopol on Sunday. Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said the city is key to the south’s defenses. “All logistics connecting Russian forces in the eastern part of the Kherson region and up to the Russian border near Mariupol are handled through it,” Arestovych said in an online video. “If Melitopol falls, the entire line of defense will collapse as far as Kherson. Ukrainian forces will be given a direct route to Crimea.”
