Surrounding the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Velyka Novosilka: Russian troops are advancing and attacking from the flanks, according to Butusov (video).

The Russian Armed Forces continue their offensive along the frontline in the Donbas, which stretches from Pokrovsk to Velyka Novosilka. In Pokrovsk, the Russians may replicate the tactics that enabled them to occupy Uglidar. Meanwhile, there is a threat of operational encirclement for the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) units in Velyki Novosilky. Military journalist and editor of "Censor.net," Yuriy Butusov, discussed the situation at the Donetsk region border in a video review on his YouTube channel.

Russian Offensive — Encirclement in Velyka Novosilka

Butusov explained that he received information about the frontline situation from military personnel who are aware of the actual events: from "high and mid-level commanders, as well as junior commanders." According to the received data, the city of Velyka Novosilka is nearly surrounded. The Russian Armed Forces have advanced on the western and eastern flanks around the settlement and have complete fire control over the area. As a result, UAF fighters can only reach their positions on foot, as noted in the video.

"This small narrow island is being shot through by the enemy from almost all types of weapons," — said Butusov.

Butusov claims that it is difficult to hold this position, and the Ukrainians face operational encirclement, but they are maintaining their positions because there is no order to withdraw.

"Establishing communication, organizing support, and arranging quick evacuation is impossible. How can this be held further? There are no reinforcements. Yet, there is an order to hold the line. It simply outrages me that there are still no decisions for withdrawal," — said the military journalist, urging the General Staff to pull back the troops.

On the combat map shown by Butusov, Russian "clamps" can be seen surrounding Velyka Novosilka. The distance between the edges of the "clamps" is indicated on the "Censor.net" map as being between 2,200 and 3,700 meters.

Fighting in Donbas — Kurakhove and Pokrovsk

In Butusov's video review, he also spoke about the fighting west of Kurakhove, which is occupied by the Russian Armed Forces. According to him, the enemy has entrenched itself on the heights along road N15, which leads towards Pokrovsk and Zaporizhzhia. The Russians have all the means to strike at UAF fighters who are positioned in the lowland. The journalist also advised the command to withdraw Ukrainian troops to save them from "pointless defeat."

"Whoever controls the dominant heights has radio horizons for maximum range and effectiveness of drone operations. Now, the enemy has taken control of the dominant heights, and they are in their favor in this area," — stated the journalist.

Another issue raised by Butusov is the situation around Pokrovsk. He explained that the Russian offensive is ongoing here, posing a threat of encirclement for the city.

"It's an obvious plan for the enemy. The enemy is advancing, and their main efforts are concentrated to the west and east of Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad. In other words, the enemy is trying to replicate the scenario that succeeded in Velyka Novosilka and Uglidar," — he warned about the threat to the route leading to Dnipro.

What the General Staff Says About the Fighting in Donbas

In the report from the UAF General Staff as of 4:00 PM on January 22, they informed about the number of assaults by the Russian Armed Forces, but as of now, the command has not mentioned the likelihood of operational encirclement in Velyka Novosilka. The report indicated that on the Pokrovsk direction, there were significantly more enemy attacks — 44 in total. Meanwhile, in the Novopavlivsk direction (Velyka Novosilka) — five.

It is noted that on January 21, a soldier from the 79th Brigade spoke about the superiority of the Russian electronic warfare (EW) systems. According to him, there are so many EW systems that only one out of five UAF FPV drones reaches the target. Nevertheless, despite this, his unit captured 14 Russians in the Kurakhove direction.

We remind you that on January 22, an analyst from the DeepState project reported on a successful special operation by the UAF, which pushed the enemy back near one settlement.