Russia's war on Ukraine. 20.11.24
Operational situation
In the operational zone of the Ukrainian Operational Group of Forces (OTG) "Siversk" in Kursk Oblast, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled over 20 attempts by Russian forces to dislodge them from their positions.
In the operational zone of the Ukrainian Operational Group of Forces (OTG) "Kharkiv" on the Kharkiv direction, the enemy launched 5 assaults on the positions of Ukrainian units near Vovchansk and carried out airstrikes in the areas of Neskuchne, Vysoka Yaruha, and Nova Kozacha.
In the "Khortytsia" Operational-Strategic Group of Forces (OSG) operational zone on the Kupyansk direction, the enemy attacked 11 times near Kindrashivka, Lozova, Petropavlivka, Zahryzove, Pershotravneve, and Kruhlyakivka. Airstrikes hit Petropavlivka and Lozova. On the Lyman direction, Positions of Ukrainian defenders in the areas of Hrekivka, Novoyehorivka, Hryhorivka, Torske, and Terny were assaulted 14 times by Russian forces. Near Stupochky, there was a clash on the Kramatorsk direction. Stinky and Mykolaivka were hit by airstrikes. On the Toretsk direction, the occupiers launched 8 assaults in the areas of Toretsk, Druzhba, and Shcherbynivka but failed. The enemy also carried out airstrikes on Romanivka, Kostyantynivka, and Sukha Balka.
In the "Tavriya" OSG operational zone, on the Pokrovsk direction, the invader carried out 37 assault and offensive actions throughout the day. The highest level of Russian activity remained in the areas of Promin, Lysivka, Petrivka, Dachenske, Myrolyubivka, Novotoretske, Yuryivka, Pustynka, and Pushkyne. The enemy is intensively attacking on the Kurakhove direction. The occupiers attempted to advance in the areas of Novoselydivka, Sontsivka, Berestky, Kurakhove, Dalnie, Yelyzavetivka, and Antonivka. On the Vremivka direction, the aggressor, with the support of aviation, stormed the front line 15 times near Konstyantynopil, Trudove, Sukhi Yaly, Rozdolne, and Novodaryivka. The attempt to advance on the Orikhiv direction towards Novoandriivka ended in failure for the enemy.
In the operational zone of "Odesa" OSG on the Prydniprovskyi direction, two enemy attacks were repelled, and the enemy did not succeed.
General conclusion:
Russian forces in Kursk Oblast have changed tactics, initiating attacks at night instead of early morning.
The ability of Russian forces to maintain a high tempo of attacks on the Kharkiv direction despite significant personnel losses will depend on the effectiveness of Ukrainian countermeasures.
There is an increase in traffic of military equipment, including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers, and ammunition trucks, moving from the Berdyansk and Polohy directions through Mariupol toward Volnovakha to support operations on the Kurakhove direction.
Russian forces continue to exert pressure on the "Tavriya" OSG positions in the area of the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts' border from the south and east, to support their efforts on the Vremivka and Kurakhove directions.
Change in the line of contact (LoC):
There were 130 combat engagements on various fronts.
On the Kursk direction, Russian troops advanced to the northeast of Nizhniy Klin, attacked near the wooded area around Olgovka, Kremyannoe, the eastern outskirts of Plekhovo, Novoivanovka, and Sverdlivkovo.
"Siversk" OTG counterattacked near Novoivanovka, Daryino, and Plekhovo.
On the Kharkiv direction, "Kharkiv" OTG advanced in wooded areas southeast of Hlyboke.
Russian troops attacked near Lyptsi, Hlyboke, and Vovchansk, suffering disproportionate losses to achieve tactical successes.
On the Kupyansk direction, Russian units continued fighting in the industrial zone in the east of Kupyansk and advanced north of Kupyansk. The enemy has a limited presence in Kruhlyakivka and is trying to advance toward Kolisnykivka but has not consolidated in the area. The aggressor's troops attacked near Kindrashivka, Lozova. Enemy aviation carried out its first strike on Kupiansk with a new guided fragmentation-incendiary bomb OFZAB-500.
On the Lyman direction, intense enemy fire from closed positions cut off logistical routes for "Khortytsia" OSG near Yampolivka. The enemy attacked near Hrekivka, Novoyehorivka, Terny, Novolyubivka, and Torske.
On the Kramatorsk direction, Russian troops unsuccessfully advanced near Stupochky, trying to move along the streets of Dmytro Skrypnychenko and Parkova on the eastern outskirts of Chasiv Yar.
On the Toretsk direction, Russian troops fought near Toretsk, Druzhba, and Shcherbynivka but did not advance. The enemy is consolidating its position in the eastern part of the “Zabalka” neighborhood.
Ukrainian Defense Forces, during a sudden attack, captured enemy positions in Toretsk and took prisoners.
On the Pokrovsk direction, Russian troops tried to advance to the west and northwest of Selydove, in the northern part of Petrivka, repelled a counterattack by Defense Forces west of Krasnyi Yar, and attacked near Promin, Myrolyubivka, Petrivka, Dachenske, Pustynka, Lysivka, and Novooleksiivka.
Ukrainian Defense Forces successfully counterattacked near Novohrodivka.
On the Kurakhove direction, Russian troops are fighting for Novoselydivka and attempting to advance to the center of Berestky, attacked near Kurakhove, Sontsivka, Voznesenka, Novoselydivka, Berestky, and Dalnie.
On the Vremivka direction, Russian troops captured Rivnopil and attempted to advance near Dalnie, Yasna Polyana, and east of Rozdolne, attacking near Konstyantynopil, Trudove, Rozdolne, Yelyzavetivka, Antonivka, Katerynivka, Velyka Novosilka, Makarivka, Novodaryivka, and Rivnopil.
On the Orikhiv direction, Russian troops attacked in the area of Novoandriivka, Nesteryanka, Novopokrovka, and Bilohirya, but the front line remained unchanged.
In the Black Sea-Azov naval operational area, the enemy naval group on combat duty consists of:
Black Sea: 6 ships, including 6 cruise missile carriers; the total salvo is 24 cruise missiles.
Mediterranean Sea: 3 ships, including 3 cruise missile carriers; the total salvo is 24 cruise missiles.
The enemy deployed the "Pantsir-S1" air defense system near the Komyshova and Kozacha bays, near occupied Sevastopol, to cover the Black Sea Fleet's diving school, the oil depot, warehouses of the 810th Separate Marines Brigade, and a military airfield.
Changes in the enemy disposition:
More than 11,000 DPRK Armed Forces personnel are moving to Kursk Oblast. There are no signs of additional deployments of North Korean troops in Russia.
The 128th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 6th Combined Arms Army, the "Zapad-Ahmat" Battalion, and units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs from the Kurchaloyevsky District of Chechnya are engaged in combat on the Kharkiv direction.
The main forces of the 98th Airborne Division, the 200th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 14th Army Corps, and the "Ispanyola" 88th Volunteer Brigade (Russian Volunteer Corps) operate in the area of Chasiv Yar.
Russian military command has additionally redeployed assault units of "Storm V" from training ranges near Mariupol–Berdyansk to the Volnovakha area for further deployment on the Kurakhove direction.
The 57th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 5th Combined Arms Army is advancing near Trudove, and the 14th Separate SOF Brigade is active in the Vuhledar area.
The 45th Separate SOF Brigade of the Airborne Forces and the 33rd "BARS" unit operate on the Kherson direction.
Possible operation situation developments:
The troops of the 20th Combined Arms Army will be used by the command of the enemy's "Zapad (West)" Operational Grouping on the flanks of its operational zone to facilitate the offensives of the 1st Tank Army and the 25th Combined Arms Army on the Kupyansk and Lyman directions, respectively. The redeployment of part of the forces of the 20th Army to the operational zones of the 1st Tank Army and the 25th Army is likely.
If the enemy manages to advance to the Chervone–Stupochky line on the Kramatorsk direction 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.
Before the end of November “Tavriya” OSG will withdraw from its positions along the Yelyzavetivka–Konstyantynopil line, Kurakhove, and the northern bank of the Kurakhove Reservoir to avoid encirclement.
After capturing Kurakhove, the forces of the enemy's "Yug (South)" Operational Grouping will focus on seizing Velyka Novosilka, which may occur in January 2025 following regrouping and replenishment of losses.
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 expected sequence of enemy actions for capturing Pokrovsk is as follows: first, the 90th Tank Division of the 41st Combined Arms Army and the 27th Motorized Rifle Division of the 2nd Combined Arms Army will break through to the area south of Pokrovsk. Afterward, the main forces of the 2nd and 41st Combined Arms Armies will advance from the direction of Mykolaivka toward Myrnohrad (via Promin). Another possible maneuver could involve an advance from Hrodivka toward Novoekonomichne, with attempts to break through along the railway directly to Pokrovsk from the direction of Novohrodivka.
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 20.11.24
Personnel - almost 725,740 (+1,690);
Tanks 9,390 (+8);
Armored combat vehicles – 19,119 (+27);
Artillery systems – 20,681 (+49);
Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 1,252 (0);
Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 1,001 (+2);
Vehicles and fuel tanks – 29,648 (+100);
Aircraft - 369 (0);
Helicopters – 329 (0);
UAV operational and tactical level – 19,202 (+91);
Intercepted cruise missiles – 2,756 (+2)
Boats/ships – 29 (0).
Humanitarian + general:
On the night of November 20, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 122 "Shahed" drones, unidentified UAVs, an S-300 anti-aircraft guided missile, and five Kh-59/69 guided aviation missiles. Ukrainian forces destroyed 56 drones and two missiles.
Debris from downed drones in Kyiv Oblast damaged a kindergarten, a school, three administrative buildings, two shops, and agricultural equipment. No critical or residential infrastructure was hit. Two drones were downed over Kyiv, but no damage was reported.
Around 2:00 PM, Russian forces attacked the village of Antonivka near Kherson using a drone, injuring a 68-year-old man. At the same time, they shelled the village of Komyshany in the Kherson community, injuring a 59-year-old woman and a 73-year-old woman.
For two days, Russian forces have been shelling a village in the Novhorod-Siverskyi community of Chernihiv Oblast with mortars, tanks, and drones. The attacks destroyed two houses and damaged a church and a kindergarten. No casualties have been reported.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has secured the release of 3,767 people from Russian captivity, including only 186 civilians. As of June 2024, over 14,000 Ukrainian civilians are known to remain in Russian captivity. According to the Ombudsman, returning these civilians is even more challenging than repatriating children and military personnel.
Ukrainian prosecutors have launched an investigation into another Russian war crime. On November 10, in the vicinity of Novodmytrivka, Pokrovskyi Raion, Russian forces reportedly captured two Ukrainian servicemen, forced them to strip naked, and marched them at gunpoint through a forest plantation before executing them. Investigators are also probing the alleged killing of three more wounded Ukrainian defenders at the same location.
Ukrainian law enforcement has registered about 143,000 war crimes since the full-scale invasion began, averaging 200–300 new crimes daily.
According to the Center for National Resistance under the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Russian authorities are intensifying the "nationalization" of Ukrainian property. In temporarily occupied areas of Luhansk Oblast, special commissions have been established to identify "abandoned" homes of those who fled the occupation, as well as farmland. Over 300 hectares of Ukrainian agricultural land in Luhansk Oblast have been added to Russian registries for future appropriation.