Russia preparing to break through to southern Donetsk Oblast, military says

Russian forces are preparing to break through to the southern part of Donetsk Oblast, Vladyslav Voloshyn, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian military’s Southern Command, said on Nov. 24.
Kyiv has been warning of a potential Russian offensive in the south, as Moscow’s troops continue advancing in Ukraine’s eastern regions.
“The enemy is trying to break through to the south of Donetsk region, where Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts meet,” Voloshyn told Apostrophe TV.
Voloshyn said the push would likely concentrate around Velyka Novosilka, one of the largest settlements in the area. Russian troops are also gearing up for assault operations in the direction of Orikhiv and Huliaipole in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
“There is a high probability that the enemy will also launch assault operations, trying to break into our defense,” he said.
Russian forces are creating assault groups, transferring ammunition, and conducting aerial reconnaissance with drones, Voloshyn said, citing Ukrainian intelligence. These actions signal preparations for an upcoming offensive.
“In addition, the enemy is actively trying to hit the previously scouted areas in these areas… and is finding out where our firepower is located, trying to suppress and destroy it to make it easier for them to conduct assault operations,” he said.
Ukrainian forces have been preparing for a Russian push in the south. Voloshyn on Nov. 12 said that Russia could launch a renewed assault on Zaporizhzhia Oblast “any day.” Ukraine is busy building heavy fortifications near Zaporizhzhia, the military told the Economist on Nov. 24.
Earlier in October, Voloshyn said that Russian forces were massing for a breakthrough in the direction of Orikhiv and Mala Tokmachka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The area was the main axis of Ukraine’s southern counteroffensive in 2023, which led to the liberation of the settlement of Robotyne but achieved no major results.
Russia is currently gaining territory in eastern Ukraine at a rapid rate, seizing towns in Donetsk Oblast at the cost of heavy personnel losses.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Nov. 2. that Ukraine is now facing “one of the most powerful” Russian offensives since the start of the all-out war.