Russia's war on Ukraine. 09.12.24
Operational situation
On the Kursk direction, Russian troops advanced on the southern outskirts of Novoivanovka, fought for Plekhovo, attempted to advance towards Kurylivka and Guevo, and attacked in the area of Nizhniy Klin. Battles continued near Novoivanovka, Plekhovo, and Guevo.
Units of the "Siversk" OTG attacked on the southern outskirts of Daryino, in Pogrebki, repelled enemy attacks in the direction of Novaya Sorochina and Staraya Sorochina, and forced them to retreat to the outskirts of Pogrebki.
On the Kharkiv direction, Russian troops advanced in the areas of Vysoka Yaruha, Lyptsi, and Vovchansk, but did not make progress.
On the Kupyansk direction, Russian troops advanced southeast of Zahryzove and in the area of Pershotravneve, conducted offensive actions in the areas of Masyutivka, Bohuslavka, Pishchane, Kolisnykivka, Lozova, Hlushkivka, Zelenyi Hai, Kopanka, Nadiya, Druzhelyubivka, Tverdokhlibove, and Cherneshchyna.
Ukrainian Defense forces counterattacked near Kucherivka and in the areas near the Oskil River.
On the Lyman direction, Russian troops advanced near Yampolivka, Makiivka, Hrekivka, Zarichne, Terny, and in the area of Serebriansk Forest.
On the Kramatorsk direction, Russian troops attacked in Chasiv Yar in the "Novyi" neighborhood and near the refractory materials plant, as well as near Kalynivka, Stupochky, and Bila Hora.
On the Toretsk direction, Russian troops attacked within and near Toretsk, as well as near Dyliivka, Shcherbynivka, Nelipivka, and Leonidivka.
On the Pokrovsk direction, Russian troops advanced east of Ukrainka, southeast of Dachenske, are fighting for Novotroitske, and attempting to advance within Shevchenkove and Zelenyi and southeast of Novotroitske. The enemy is attacking in the area of Myrolyubivka, Myrnohrad, Hrodivka, Promin, Lysivka, Sukhyi Yar, Zhovte, Dachenske, Pushkyne, Shevchenkove, Novyi Trud, Zelene, and Novotroitske.
On the Kurakhove direction, Russian troops advanced to the southern outskirts of Sukhi Yaly, north of the Vovcha River, and are attempting to seize the area between Sontsivka and Stari Terny, between Sukhi Yaly and Konstyantynopolske, and to occupy Hihant. The enemy advanced near Kurakhove, as well as near Zorya, Dachne, Maksymilianivka, Dalnie, Katerynivka, Antonivka, Yelyzavetivka, Romanivka, Hannivka, Veselyi Hai, Uspenivka, and Rozlyv.
The 228th Motorized Rifle Regiment, 239th Tank Regiment of the 90th Tank Division, supported on the Novohrodivka – Lysivka and Marynivka – Dachenske axes by units of the 433rd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 27th Motorized Rifle Division, reached the line of Novotroitske – Shevchenko – Vidrodzhennya – Dachenske, 4 km south of Pokrovsk. The 90th Tank Division actively attacked in the direction of Pushkyne – Novoolenivka and Novooleksiivka – Ukrainka, attempting to break through to the Pokrovsk – Andriivka road but did not make significant progress.
Forward units of the 20th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Combined Arms Army advanced in the direction of Dalnie – Uspenivka and outflanked Ukrainian Defense Forces units that continue to defend in Uspenivka and east of it, repelling attacks by the 39th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade on the Hannivka – Romanivka direction.
The 36th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, reinforced by units of the 114th and 37th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigades, is fighting for Konstyantynopolske and has practically captured Sukhi Yaly and Trudove. The situation is critical for the Defense Forces.
The 110th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 51st Combined Arms Army captured most of the central part of Kurakhove. The 5th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 51st Combined Arms Army captured Stari Terny and controls the area near the Kurakhove Reservoir dam, significantly complicating a potential withdrawal of forward Ukrainian Defense Forces units from Kurakhove to Dachne.
On the Vremivka direction, Russian troops continued their offensive in the area of Velyka Novosilka but failed. The enemy attacked towards Temyrivka, as well as near Novosilka, Novodarivka, Blahodatne, Neskuchne, and Rozdolne.
After forward units of the 60th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, supported by the 5th Separate Tank Brigade, captured Blahodatne, and the 37th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade and 336th Separate Marines Brigade approached the outskirts of Velyka Novosilka from the east, and the 40th Separate Marines Brigade of the Pacific Fleet broke through to Novyi Komar, the issue of Ukrainian Defense Forces maintaining control of the village became more acute.
Ukrainian Defense Forces counterattacked near Blahodatne.
On the Orikhiv direction, Russian troops attacked near Nesteryanka and Novodanylivka but did not make progress.
General conclusion:
In the Kursk Oblast, Russian forces have intensified their attacks after an operational pause. The 155th Separate Marines Brigade of the Pacific Fleet remains the enemy's main assault force.
The number of airstrikes by the Russian Aerospace Forces on the Kharkiv direction is decreasing.
On the Lyman direction, Russian forces use armored vehicles less frequently than a week ago.
On the Kramatorsk direction, the enemy uses small infantry groups as reconnaissance and sabotage groups (RSGs) to attack Ukrainian Defense Forces from the rear. The Russian military command has not redeployed new units to the Chasiv Yar area, as it has sufficient reserves in the area to maintain the current pace of the offensive.
The enemy's command has decided to eliminate the Kurakhove bridgehead of the Ukrainian Defense Forces not with a single powerful strike but gradually, by "cutting off" individual sections of the area.
Over the past few days, resistance from forward units of the "Khortytsia" OSG on the Kurakhove direction has been growing, although it has not yet been enough to completely halt the enemy's advance.
Despite the successful defense by the "Khortytsia" OSG in the area of Zorya and Sontsivka, the enemy bypassed this section to the north in the direction of Ukrainka, and to the south along the northern bank of the Kurakhove Reservoir, passing through Berestky and Stari Terni.
On the Kurakhove direction, the focus is no longer on holding Kurakhove itself or the area south of it, but on a deliberate and organized withdrawal of Ukrainian Defense Forces to the line of Slovyanka – Petropavlivka – Shevchenko (lower) – Zelenivka. The key to this maneuver is the retention of Dachne.
The 127th Motorized Rifle Division is gradually advancing west of the Mokri Yaly River, seeking to break through to the Huliaypole – Velyka Novosilka highway, thereby bypassing the village to the west. The enemy's "Vostok" (East) Operational Grouping is focusing its efforts east of the Mokri Yaly River, which has resulted in a slow pace of advance for the 127th Motorized Rifle Division. Sporadic and unsuccessful attempts continue to break through from the direction of Staromayorske toward Storozhove, bypassing Makarivka.
The enemy still manages to achieve tactical breakthroughs on certain sections of the front, but the operational value of such actions is becoming increasingly questionable. The pace of the offensive has slowed, and the enemy is suffering disproportionate losses relative to their gains. The actions of tactical-level units are increasingly falling out of alignment with the overall operational context.
Most of the reserves accumulated by the enemy in the spring and early summer have already been deployed to clearly defined directions — in Kursk Oblast, as well as on the Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, and Vremivka directions. On other fronts, enemy groupings are attempting to advance using only the reserves currently at their disposal.
Change in the line of contact (LoC):
There were 191 combat engagements on various fronts.
On the Kharkiv direction, the enemy launched 5 attacks in the areas of Vovchansk, Lyptsi, and Vysoka Yaruha.
On the Kupyansk direction, there were 8 enemy attacks. Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled enemy assault operations near Pishchane, Kolisnykivka, Lozova, and Zahryzove.
On the Lyman direction, the enemy launched 28 attacks, attempting to breach Ukrainian defense lines near Bohuslavka, Druzhelyubivka, Kopanky, Zelenyi Hai, Zarichne, Terny, Yampolivka, Hrekivka, Nadiya, and Makiivka.
On the Kramatorsk direction, the occupiers launched three attacks in the areas of the settlements of Stupochky, Chasiv Yar, and Bila Hora.
On the Toretsk direction, the enemy conducted 8 attacks near Toretsk, Dyliivka, Leonidivka, and Shcherbynivka.
On the Pokrovsk direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces stopped 53 enemy assault operations towards Myrolyubivka, Novotoretske, Promin, Lysivka, Dachenske, Zelene, Novyi Trud, Zhovte, Novotroitske, and Chumatske.
On the Kurakhove direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 40 Russian attacks. The occupiers most actively tried to advance in the areas of Sontsivka, Stari Terny, Maksymilianivka, Dachne, Kurakhove, Katerynivka, Yelyzavetivka, Hanivka, Antonivka, and Uspenivka.
On the Vremivka direction, the enemy launched 19 assaults in the areas of Novosilka, Novodarivka, Sukhi Yaly, and Blahodatne.
On the Orikhiv direction, with the support of aviation, the occupying forces launched 1 assault on Defense Forces' positions near Nesteryanka.
On the Prydniprovskyi direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces make every effort to prevent the enemy from advancing deeper into Ukrainian territory and have successfully repelled 7 enemy offensive actions
In the Black Sea-Azov naval operational area, the enemy naval group on combat duty consists of:
Black Sea: 1 ship, including 1 cruise missile carrier; the total salvo is 4 cruise missiles.
Mediterranean Sea: 6 ships, including 4 cruise missile carriers; the total salvo is 41 cruise missiles.
Changes in the enemy disposition:
The 16th Separate SOF Brigade operates near Novovodyane.
Within the composition of the enemy’s "Zapad" (West), "Yug" (South), and "Vostok" (East) operational groupings, forces from six combined arms armies (the 2nd, 5th, 8th, 29th, 36th, and 51st Combined Arms Armies) are engaged. At the same time, the 2nd and 51st Combined Arms Armies have been partially committed to operations on the Kurakhove and Vremivka directions, while the rest of their forces are engaged in combat on the Toretsk and Pokrovsk directions. Additionally, the 68th Army Corps, the 90th Tank Division of the 41st Combined Arms Army, and two separate marines brigades (the 40th and 336th Separate Marines Brigades) are also advancing in these areas.
The 68th Tank Regiment of the 150th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Combined Arms Army operates near Kurakhove. On the Kurakhove direction, the enemy is also advancing from the following directions:
from the north and northeast with the forces of the 90th Tank Division of the 41st Combined Arms Army, the 27th Motorized Rifle Division, and the 15th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 2nd Combined Arms Army.
from the east, the 5th and 110th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigades of the 51st Combined Arms Army are advancing, operating in coordination with the 114th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 51st Combined Arms Army.
from the southeast, the enemy is advancing with the 20th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Combined Arms Army, the 39th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, and a divisional tactical group of the 18th Machine Gun and Artillery Division of the 68th Army Corps.
from the south, crossing the Sukhi Yaly River, the 36th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 29th Combined Arms Army is advancing, reinforced by units of the 114th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 51st Combined Arms Army (up to two battalions).
To increase efforts in this direction, the 57th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 5th Combined Arms Army has been concentrated.
The 60th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 5th Combined Arms Army operates near Blahodatne.
Possible operation situation developments:
On the Kupyansk direction, the enemy will try to break through the "Khortytsia" OSG defense near Kruhlyakivka and advance southward toward Bohuslavka and Nova Kruhlyakivka; attack Lozova and move toward Nova Kruhlyakivka; breach the "Khortytsia" OSG defense at Pershotravneve toward Kopanky and Novoserhiyivka, forcing Ukrainian Defense Forces to retreat from positions near Novoyehorivka under the threat of encirclement.
On the Kramatorsk direction, if the enemy manages to advance to the Chervone–Stupochky line and simultaneously begins intensive northward attacks at the junction of its 41st and 51st Armies from the Novooleksandrivka–Arkhanhelske line, reaching the Yablunivka–Oleksandro-Kalynove line on the Toretsk direction, then the "Khortytsia" OSG will be forced to withdraw towards Kostyantynivka. The operational situation is deteriorating, and if it develops negatively, with the loss of the refractory materials plant in Chasiv Yar, it will be lost by the end of December.
On the Pokrovsk direction, the enemy will attempt to advance to the Novotroitske–Ukrainka line, which would achieve two operational objectives: bypassing the flank of Ukrainian Defense Forces units holding Zorya and Sontsivka and simultaneously creating favorable conditions for enveloping Pokrovsk from the south.
If the enemy advances to the area where the Vovcha and Solona rivers converge near Dachne from the north, the position of Ukrainian Defense Forces units in Kurakhove will become critically complicated unless they manage to retreat in time. In the southern part of the Kurakhove bridgehead, Ukrainian Defense Forces units will soon have to abandon Hannivka and Uspenivka to avoid encirclement and retreat in a northwesterly direction.
On the Vremivka direction, intense battles for Velyka Novosilka are expected to unfold soon, as the enemy's future ability to organize and carry out a further offensive toward Rozlyv and Bahatyr, as well as to conduct a deep flanking maneuver against the Ukrainian Defense Forces' grouping from the south, depends on it. By controlling Rozdolne (located between Velyka Novosilka and the Zaporizhzhia–Donetsk highway) and having a convenient stronghold for concentrating and deploying additional forces and assets, the enemy command will soon attempt to cut off all "Khortytsia" OSG’s communication lines in Velyka Novosilka. The enemy will once again attempt to break through towards Novyi Komar or in the direction of Dniproenerhiya.
By the end of the current year, the enemy will not succeed in seizing the "belt of fortresses" Kostyantynivka – Druzhkivka – Kramatorsk – Sloviansk or occupying Donetsk Oblast. The upcoming battle for Pokrovsk will mark the apex of the enemy’s offensive operation in the Southwestern Theater of Operations in 2024.
The enemy's military command in the theater of operations until March 2025 will be creating conditions to achieve the military-political goal of the Special Military Operation: reaching the administrative borders of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts and the junction of Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk Oblasts near the village of Temyrivka.
Russian operational losses from 24.02.22 to 09.12.24
Personnel - almost 754,590 (+1,220);
Tanks 9,519 (0);
Armored combat vehicles – 19,589 (+18);
Artillery systems – 21,061 (+3);
Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 1,253 (0);
Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 1.023 (0);
Vehicles and fuel tanks – 30,989 (+24);
Aircraft - 369 (0);
Helicopters – 329 (0);
UAV operational and tactical level – 20,093 (+22);
Intercepted cruise missiles – 2,859 (+2)
Boats/ships – 29 (0).
Humanitarian + general:
At night, Russian occupiers attacked Ukraine with 2 missiles and 37 strike drones. As of 8:00 a.m., all missiles and 18 UAVs were shot down, 18 drones were lost from radar, and 1 remained airborne — combat operations were ongoing.
On December 9, the Russian army struck a truck belonging to a charitable organization in Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, which provides humanitarian aid to frontline towns and villages. No people were injured.
One person was killed, and two others were injured as a result of Russian strikes on Kherson on the morning of December 9. Two attacks were carried out with explosive devices from drones, and the center of the city was subjected to artillery shelling. Additionally, Russian occupiers attacked a vehicle belonging to a municipal utility company in Kherson using a drone. Three workers managed to avoid injury.
In the suburbs of Kherson, Russian occupiers dropped an explosive from a drone, injuring a 64-year-old man who was riding a bicycle.
On the morning of December 9, the Russian army shelled one of the thermal power plants in Donetsk Oblast, killing one employee and injuring two others.
As a result of today's shelling in the northern part of Donetsk Oblast, in the village of Stara Mykolaivka of the Illinivka community, Russian forces killed a 91-year-old woman and wounded two others. A store and three vehicles were damaged. In Kostyantynivka, two people were injured.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has managed to secure the release of 160 civilian hostages from Russian captivity, including representatives of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people. The forced issuance of Russian passports on the occupied peninsula and the unwillingness of Russian Ombudswoman Tatyana Moskalkova to address the issue of civilian hostages' rights in Crimea complicate the return of Crimean political prisoners from Russian captivity, said Elvin Kadyrov, a representative of the Ombudsman for the Rights of Residents of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
In occupied Donetsk, an SUV (Toyota) was blown up, carrying former Olenivka Colony chief Serhiy Yevsyukov and his wife. In July, the Security Service of Ukraine announced charges against former Olenivka Colony officials linked to the deaths of captured Ukrainian defenders. The investigation revealed that Yevsyukov and his former first deputy, Dmytro Neyolov, held their positions on the night of July 29, 2022, when Russian forces carried out explosions in the occupation prison, killing at least 53 Ukrainian prisoners of war as they slept and injuring, often severely, at least 130 more.
Russian occupiers have installed anonymous "tip-off" boxes in several schools in the temporarily occupied territories, according to the National Resistance Center. All letters must be handed over by school administration to FSB officers. Students are encouraged to report "disloyal" classmates or even parents. All of this is being carried out under the guise of "fighting extremism."