Russia's war on Ukraine. 23.11.24
Operational situation
In the operational zone of the Ukrainian Operational Group of Forces (OTG) "Kharkiv" on the Kharkiv direction, the enemy launched 3 assaults on the positions of Ukrainian Defense Forces of Vovchansk. The 153rd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade reported the presence of personnel from the North Korean Armed Forces in the area.
In the "Khortytsia" Operational-Strategic Group of Forces (OSG) operational zone on the Kupyansk direction, there were 6 enemy attacks. Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled assaults near Zelenyi Hai, Hlushkivka, and Zahryzove. On the Lyman direction, the enemy attacked 19 times, attempting to break through near Torske, Hrekivka, Terny, Novoyehorivka, and Makiivka. On the Kramatorsk directions, the occupiers launched 5 attacks in the areas of Stupochky and Chasiv Yar. On the Toretsk direction, the enemy conducted 8 assaults toward Toretsk.
In the "Tavriya" OSG operational zone, on the Pokrovsk direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces thwarted 44 enemy assault attempts toward Myrolyubivka, Promin, Lysivka, Sukhyi Yar, Pustynka, Hryhorivka, Dachenske, Petrivka, and Pushkyne. On the Kurakhove direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 36 Russian attacks, with the most intense enemy efforts concentrated near Berestky, Sontsivka, Dalnie, Novodmytrivka, Kurakhove, Katerynivka, Romanivka, and Antonivka. On the Vremivka direction, the enemy carried out 30 assaults near Trudove, Konstyantynopil, Rozlyv, Rozdolne, Sukhi Yaly, and Novodaryivka. On the Orikhiv direction, the occupying forces attempted a single unsuccessful assault on Ukrainian defensive positions near Kamianske.
In the operational zone of "Odesa" OSG on the Prydniprovskyi direction, the enemy unsuccessfully attacked Ukrainian defensive positions 4 times.
General conclusion:
The Russian Armed Forces have concentrated up to 60,000 personnel in Kursk Oblast. The enemy intends to push the "Siversk" OTG across the international border into Sumy Oblast and conduct further offensive actions deeper into Ukraine to establish a "buffer zone" in Sumy Oblast.
On the Kupiansk direction, Russian forces have intensified attacks, using artillery, MLRS, and glide bombs to force the civilian population to evacuate from vllages on the eastern bank of the Oskil River.
Russian forces are focused on capturing Velyka Novosilka, attempting to facilitate the seizure of Kurakhove.
Change in the line of contact (LoC):
There were 194 combat engagements on various fronts.
On the Kursk direction, the 83rd Separate Air Assault Brigade and the 51st Airborne Regiment of the 106th Airborne Division attempted advances near Daryino and Nikolaevo-Daryino. Russian forces also conducted offensives in wooded areas near Olgovka, Malaya Loknia, Pogrebki, Orlovka, and Plekhovo.
The "Siversk" OTG counterattacked near Novoivanovka and Daryino.
On the Kharkiv direction, Russian forces attacked near Hlyboke, Vovchansk, and Starytsia but made no progress. The enemy is attempting advances near Vovchansk, Tykhe, Prylypky, and Vovchanski Khutory.
On the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces made minor gains on the eastern outskirts of Kopanky, the southwestern part of Hlushkivka, and reached the Zaoskillya railway station. They advanced along the Oskil River from Kolisnykivka to Kupiansk's southern flank, attacking in the areas of Petropavlivka, Zahryzove, Kolisnykivka, Lozova, Zelenyi Hai, Novoyehorivka, Tverdokhlibove.
On the Lyman direction, Russian forces hold positions on tactically significant heights near Makiivka and conducted offensives near Hrekivka, Makiivka, Terny, Torske, and the Serebriansk Forest. Enemy aviation destroyed a pontoon bridge across the Siverskyi Donets River near Lyman.
On the Kramatorsk direction, Russian forces advanced south of Chasiv Yar to the eastern bank of the Siverskyi Donets–Donbas canal, northeast of Bila Hora, and along Parkova Street on Chasiv Yar's eastern outskirts. They are fortifying positions west of Klishchiivka and attacked near Stupochky.
On the Toretsk direction, Russian forces made slight advances south of Toretsk, south of Yuryivka, and into fields north of Druzhba. They attacked near Toretsk and Shcherbynivka.
On the Pokrovsk direction, Russian forces achieved minor successes near Hryhorivka, Pustynka, in fields south of Lysivka, and are advancing towards the outskirts of Zhovte. They conducted strikes near Myrolyubivka, Promin, Sukhyi Yar, Lysivka, Dachenske, Pushkyne, Pustynka, Petrivka, and Hryhorivka.
On the Kurakhove direction, Russian forces attempted to advance towards and near Kurakhove, aiming to capture Berestky. They are pushing west toward Stari Terny from positions north of Berestky. Intense fighting continues on Kurakhove's eastern outskirts and in its center, particularly near the grain elevator. Enemy aviation struck the Kurakhove thermal power plant in the city's western part, destroying one of the smokestacks.
Russian forces attacked near Kurakhove, Berestky, Sontsivka, Zoria, and Novodmytrivka.
On the Vremivka direction, the 10th Tank Regiment of the 3rd Army Corps advanced northeast of Illinka. The enemy conducted assaults near Konstyantynopolske, Trudove, north and west of Dalnie, near Antonivka, Rozlyv, Katerynivka, Romanivka, Novodaryivka, and southeast of Rozdolne.
On the Orikhiv direction, Russian forces attacked near Pyatykhatky but made no progress.
In the Black Sea-Azov naval operational area, the enemy naval group on combat duty consists of:
Black Sea: 20 ships, including 6 cruise missile carriers; the total salvo is 23 cruise missiles.
Mediterranean Sea: 2 ships, including 1 cruise missile carrier; the total salvo is 16 cruise missiles.
Changes in the enemy disposition:
The 6th Motorized Rifle Division of the 3rd Army Corps operates near Dyliivka.
The 24th Separate SOF Brigade is active on the Pokrovsk direction.
The 5th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 51st Combined Arms Army operates near Berestky.
The 394th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 127th Motorized Rifle Division of the 5th Combined Arms Army is active near Rivnopil, while the 5th Separate Tank Brigade of the 36th Combined Arms Army operates near Velyka Novosilka.
The 503rd Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 19th Motorized Rifle Division of the 58th Combined Arms Army is active in the Shcherbaky area.
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 23.11.24
Personnel - almost 729,720 (+1,420);
Tanks 9,419 (+20);
Armored combat vehicles – 19,192 (+36);
Artillery systems – 20,760 (+24);
Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 1,254 (0);
Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 1,004 (0);
Vehicles and fuel tanks – 29,850 (+73);
Aircraft - 369 (0);
Helicopters – 329 (0);
UAV operational and tactical level – 19,365 (+105);
Intercepted cruise missiles – 2,764 (0)
Boats/ships – 29 (0).
Humanitarian + general:
On the evening of November 22, Russian forces carried out an airstrike (using FAB-500 bombs with guidance kits) on the city of Zaporizhzhia. The munition hit a private enterprise. The blast wave and fragments damaged nearby homes, garage facilities, and private vehicles. An 11-year-old child was hospitalized with a shrapnel wound to the eye. Another strike targeted Tavriyske in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, destroying a farm. Rescuers and police retrieved the body of the farm’s security guard from the rubble.
Andrii Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, stated that Russia has established a comprehensive system of torturing prisoners of war. He emphasized that, in most cases, the goal was not to extract information. These were deliberate acts of torture designed to break the individual’s resistance and personality, degrade their dignity, and force them to renounce everything they hold dear—or to break those around them. According to Yusov, the Russians train specific "specialists" in these torture methods, which are described in textbooks and systematically practiced.
Following the abduction of Ukrainian children from temporarily occupied territories, Russia seeks to strip them of their Ukrainian identity. Vadym Skibitskyi, another representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, noted that about 50 specialized programs operate in the aggressor state to reprogram the minds of Ukrainian children and youth.
In Ukraine, the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Holodomor is observed every third Saturday of November. This year, the 91st anniversary of the 1932–1933 Holodomor falls on November 23. Ukrainians worldwide will commemorate the victims of the artificial famines caused by the Soviet regime. Ukraine’s Human Rights Commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, urged parliaments worldwide to recognize the Holodomor as genocide against the Ukrainian people.
Since the start of the export corridor's operations in the Black Sea, 321 infrastructure facilities in Ukrainian ports have been damaged due to Russian attacks, President Zelensky stated. More than 20 civilian vessels, mostly from other countries, were hit and damaged—not including Ukrainian vessels. The enemy has carried out over 60 targeted strikes specifically on food infrastructure.
This year, more than 48,500 civilians have been evacuated from Kherson Oblast, including 6,600 children. Evacuations are ongoing.