Battle of Kurakhove

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Battle of Kurakhove
Part of the eastern Ukraine campaign of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Kurakhove apartment shelling.png
Damaged apartment in Kurakhove after being shelled
Date16 October 2024 [1] [2] [3] [ better source needed ] [a] – present
Location
Kurakhove and proximity, Pokrovsk Raion, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine
Status Ongoing
Territorial
changes		 Russian forces capture towns of Hirnyk and Kurakhivka
Belligerents
Russia Ukraine

The battle of Kurakhove is an ongoing battle for control of the city of Kurakhove between the Russian Armed Forces and the Ukrainian Armed Forces. [5] [6] [7]

Contents

The battle for the city began on 16 October 2024, when Russian forces' offensive operation in the direction of Kurakhove succeeded in capturing the nearby settlement of Ostrivske on 15 October, thus beginning the battle as Russian forces entered the administrative limits of the city from the north-eastern direction on the eastern bank of the Kurakhove reservoir. The battle is part of the broader Russian offensive in the Donbas and Donetsk Oblast, aiming to capture the economic and defensive stronghold cities in southern Donetsk Oblast, among them Kurakhove and Pokrovsk. [1] [8]

Background

In late August to September 2024, after breakthroughs towards Pokrovsk, [9] the Russian forces regrouped north, south and east of Kurakhove, attempting to encircle the Ukrainian troops - the current main focus of Russian forces in the city's direction. The fighting shifted to the nearby cities of Ukrainsk (located about 15km north of Kurakhove), Hirnyk and Selydove. Encirclement concerns are growing, particularly further south, where roads have become impassable and businesses have closed. The logistics have been heavily affected, with supply routes slowed and evacuation of the wounded becoming more challenging due to cut roads to Pokrovsk. The city population decreased to ~5,000 in September. [8] According to soldiers, fighting in the Kurakhove area is challenging due to the flat terrain. [9] By 16 October, Russian forces occupied the village of Ostrivske on the eastern bank of the Kurakhove reservoir, threatening Kurakhove with encirclement. [10] [11]

Russian forces entered the administrative limits of Kurakhove on the east bank of the Kurakhove reservoir, near Ostrivke, on 16 October, after becoming embattled during the capture of Ostrivske. From the east, the Russian forces then became active near Kurakhove proper on 29 October. [12]

Battle

During the month of October the Russian Army launched assualts towards the city of Kurakhove from three directions; from the city of Hirnyk in the north towards the Kurakhove reservoir, from Krasnohorivka in the east and from Vuhledar in the south. [13]

In the northern direction the advances of the Russian forces were accelerated with the capture of the city of Hirnyk by 29 October. [14] [15] This capture was followed by an assault on the neighboring town of Kurakhivka to the south and a push west of Hirnyk where Russian forces advanced into the village of Novoselydivka. [16] The Russian Ministry of Defense announced the full control over Kurakhivka on 2 November. [17] At the same time further south Russian forces started a three speared attack from Vuhledar northwards seizing the villages of Bohoyavlenka and Novoukrainka by 30 October. [18] [19] The advances continued in the northwest with the capture of Shakhtarske and Yasna Polyana a few days later. [20] It was reported by Bloomberg that, with the advances around Kurakhove together with the capture of Selydove, this week Russia was able to seize the most Ukrainian land of the year 2024 so far. [21]

In early November, an estimated 700–1,000 people remained in Kurakhove, and were living without basic utilities, while Russian forces stood under 3 kilometres from the city center. Many crucial facilities were destroyed by heavy shelling, with only one food store operational. Russian encirclement efforts of the city continued, and according to the city's head of police, its success would leave Kurakhove practically indefensible. [22]

On 11 November, the Kurakhove Reservoir  [ uk ] dam, near the village of Stari Terny  [ uk ], was destroyed, causing water to flow into the Vovcha River [23] and posing a threat of flooding for residents of villages on the river. [24] According to DeepState, the Russian effort to reach the logistical routes near Kurakhove and surround the city was gaining momentum, and it was "only a matter of time" before the city was captured. [25]

On 14 November, Ukrainian military observer Kostyantyn Mashovets claimed that Russia had concentrated 70,000 personnel against Kurakhove, including units from the 41st and 51st Combined Arms armies. [26]

Analysis

Strategic value

Kurakhove is an important economic center in the region, being fortified and located next to the Kurakhove reservoir. Control of the city is considered to be economically important, as major energy infrastructure facilities, like the Kurakhove Power Station, large resource deposits like of lithium and other businesses are located in and around the city. Kurakhove also has high military significance as it is located on a bottleneck, and the eastern limits of the defensive lines of Zaporizhia Oblast. This would possibly enable the Russian forces to outflank these defensive lines by capturing the city, [27] [28] and allow them to press directly onto Pokrovsk from the north, an effort that was deprioritized in order to capture Ukrainian cities south of it. [29] The city is described as a crucial transport and logistics hub for Ukrainian forces in southern Donbas. [5]

Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi noted in May 2024 the disparity of forces in terms of equipment and manpower, and high pressure on Ukrainian lines in the area around Kurakhove. He described the Kurakhove and Pokrovsk areas of the frontline as the "main attack direction" of Russian forces. [30]

The city is noted to be of major importance for Russian resource warfare and related war goals, as it encompasses resource infrastructure and lithium worth hundreds of billions of dollars, that is stored in the Shevchenko deposit. A few weeks before the start of the Russian invasion in December 2021, the Ukrainian government granted the Australian company European Lithium the mining rights for this deposit. In the summer of 2023, the CEO of European Lithium, Tony Sage, declared that the company would no longer lay claim to the Shevchenko field - it was too close to the front line. On 10 January 2024, Russians sent "approval documents" for lithium extraction in the region to the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Russian-Israeli writer Edward Topol argues that by seizing Ukrainian lithium, Russia aims to keep Russian momentum and pressure on the European energy market with a monopoly on European lithium. [31]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The settlement of Ostrivske to the east of Kurakhove was captured on 15 October, with fighting ensuing within the administrative boundaries of Kurakhove on 15 and 16 October. Russian forces were not confirmed to have gained a foothold in Kurakhove itself until 29 October, when they entered it from the east. [4]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Kurakhove, Donetsk Oblast". DeepStateMap.Live (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  2. ↑ "Zelenskiy says Ukrainian forces holding positions in Russia's Kursk region". Reuters . 12 October 2024.
  3. ↑ "Ukrainian settlement Ostrivske seized by Russian troops, says monitoring group". The New Voice of Ukraine . 16 October 2024.
  4. ↑ Wolkov, Nicole; Gasparyan, Davit; Stepanenko, Kateryna; Harward, Christina; Kagan, Frederick W.; Runkel, William; Trotter, Nate (30 October 2024). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, October 30, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  5. 1 2 "Russian and Ukrainian forces have begun the battle for Kurakhove — its fall would spell the end for Ukraine's defense in southern Donbas". Meduza . 31 October 2024. Archived from the original on 1 November 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  6. ↑ "Kurakhove battle set to become focal point of Russia's autumn-winter offensive". Espreso TV . 1 November 2024. Archived from the original on 1 November 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  7. ↑ "Weak fortifications near Kurakhove, revival of Ukraine's EW industry. Zgurets' column". Espreso TV . Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  8. 1 2 "Danger in Donbas as Ukraine's front line falters". The Economist . ISSN   0013-0613. Archived from the original on 10 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  9. 1 2 "Ukraine war: Troops fear encirclement in Pokrovsk as Russians near". BBC . Archived from the original on 14 September 2024. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  10. ↑ "Russians occupy Ostrivske village in Donetsk Oblast – DeepState". Ukrainska Pravda . 16 October 2024.
  11. ↑ "Ukrainern droht Einkesselung bei Kurachiwka". T-Online (in German). 16 October 2024.
  12. ↑ Wolkov, Nicole; Gasparyan, Davit; Stepanenko, Kateryna; Harward, Christina; Kagan, Frederick W.; Runkel, William; Trotter, Nate (30 October 2024). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, October 30, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  13. ↑ Constant Méheut & Josh Holder (31 October 2024). "Russia's swift march forward in Ukraine's east". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  14. ↑ Guy Faulconbridge (29 October 2024). "Russia takes two Ukrainian towns as it advances at fastest pace in a year". Reuters. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  15. ↑ Altman, Howard (1 November 2024). "Ukrainian Defenses In The East Are Buckling, Russian Advance Is Accelerating". The War Zone.
  16. ↑ Hird, Karolina; Evans, Angelica; Stepanenko, Kateryna; Mappes, Grace; Kagan, Frederick W. (1 November 2024). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, November 1, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  17. ↑ "Russia Claims Capture of New Eastern Ukraine Villages: Defense Ministry". The Moscow Times. 2 November 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  18. ↑ "Two Ukrainian villages in Donetsk Oblast fall under Russian control". The New Voice of Ukraine. 30 October 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  19. ↑ Harward, Christina; Evans, Angelica; Stepanenko, Kateryna; Trotter, Nate; Kagan, Frederick W.; Runkel, William (31 October 2024). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, October 31, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  20. ↑ "Russian forces capture Yasna Polyana, advance near Kurakhove". The New Voice of Ukraine. 2 November 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  21. ↑ "Russia speeds up advance in Ukraine as mood darkens in Kyiv". Bloomberg. 2 November 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  22. ↑ Shtuka, Anton; Maloletka, Evgeniy (10 November 2024). "As Russian forces close in on Kurakhove, hundreds of residents remain in the front-line city". Associated Press .
  23. ↑ Shumilin, Oleksandr (11 November 2024). "Kurakhove Reservoir dam destroyed amid surrounding hostilities". Ukrainska Pravda .
  24. ↑ "Зруйновано дамбу Курахівського водосховища, почався підйом води" [The Kurakhivsky Reservoir Dam Was Destroyed, Water Rise Began]. novosti.dn.ua (in Ukrainian). 11 November 2024.
  25. ↑ Shumilin, Oleksandr (11 November 2024). "DeepState reports difficult situation around Kurakhove, which could become catastrophic". Ukrainska Pravda .
  26. ↑ "Institute for the Study of War". Institute for the Study of War. 14 November 2024. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  27. ↑ Molin, Clément (26 May 2024). "Carte de la Guerre en Ukraine". Atum Mundi (in French). Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  28. ↑ Molin, Clément (11 October 2024). "Un an d'offensive russe quotidienne dans le Donbass". Atum Mundi (in French). Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  29. ↑ "Exclusive: Ukrainian officer highlights Selydove's key role in defending Pokrovsk". english.nv.ua. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  30. ↑ "Syrskyi: Russia trying to break through defenses to reach Kurakhove, Pokrovsk". Kyiv Independent . 6 May 2024.
  31. ↑ "Lithium, um Europa zu würgen: In der Ukraine kämpft Russland um Rohstoffe". N-tv . 23 June 2024.
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