In the Luhansk region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are gradually forcing the invaders to move deep into the front line, freeing the occupied territories. The movement of our troops is slow, as the Russians heavily mine the area during the retreat and constantly bombard the defense forces. However, Ukrainian soldiers have approached the strategically important settlement of Kremennaya at a distance of several kilometers and will probably be able to liberate the city by the end of this year.. This was announced on the air of a single news marathon by the head of the Lugansk OVA Serhiy Gaidai.

According to the official, a quick de-occupation of the Luhansk region should not be expected, since the Russian troops were well prepared for the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Gaidai noted that the liberation of almost every settlement in the region by that time was very difficult for our soldiers. However, positive news is likely to be expected in the direction of Svatovo-Kremennaya, where Ukrainian units are gradually pushing the enemy out..

[quote type\u003d" But our troops are already at Kremennaya, several kilometers. I hope that by the end of the year we will de-occupy something else,” Gaidai said.. [/quote].

He added that the loss of the aforementioned settlements will be very painful for the Russians, as this will significantly disrupt their logistics.. The head of the Luhansk OVA noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine already control the Svatovo-Kremennaya highway, which greatly complicates the life of the invaders. If Svatovo is liberated, the Ukrainian military will be able to move to Starobelsk, which is the logistics center of the entire region.. There, the Russians are already building a second line of defense, which, according to Gaidai, may indicate an understanding of the likelihood of losing Svatovo in the near future..

The official also said that the invaders concentrated a very large number of troops on the above-mentioned defensive lines, including the last most combat-ready units of their own army.. The overwhelming majority of enemy personnel are newly mobilized.

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Earlier, experts from the Institute for the Study of War made their own forecast for the development of hostilities in Ukraine in winter..