Ukrainian commanders say there is no encirclement of Armed Forces of Ukraine units or the use of blocking detachments near Hulyaipole, despite 10 combat clashes in the area over the past 24 hours. They said videos claiming otherwise are fake. On the military’s battle map, the villages of Zatyshshia and Vesele are shown as not occupied, even as the DeepState project’s data depict a “pocket” east of Hulyaipole.
Russian assaults near Hulyaipole are taking place between Rivnopillia and Yablukove, according to the Southern Defense Forces command’s Facebook page. The situation is difficult, they said, but troops are not encircled — weapons are being delivered and the wounded evacuated. Assault units of the Ukrainian military have also arrived at threatened points.
Col. Valerii Manko, chief of Ukraine’s assault troops, also announced the arrival of Ukrainian assault forces in a brief social media address.
The southern command’s message was posted around noon on November 21. It says reports online about encirclement and “blocking” threats are fake and urges the public to trust official sources.
“The situation in this sector is indeed complicated, but we are maintaining communication with our fighters, logistics are in place, and the wounded are being evacuated. At the same time, our units engaged in fighting in this area are being reinforced by assault units,” the post reads.
Manko’s address also mentions heavy fighting on the Hulyaipole axis, as well as in Pokrovsk and Novopavlivka. He claimed Russian units are misleading their own command about advances in these areas and said Moscow is repeatedly committing fully manned units there, which are being destroyed. “Please be patient — we’re doing a lot of work and bringing in additional units. It’s been weeks now, but Hulyaipole has not been captured. We continue our work. There’s no panic,” he said.
DeepState’s battle map indicates that on November 20, Russian forces likely occupied the village of Vesele northeast of Hulyaipole and advanced near Zatyshshia. To the east, the front line shows a salient roughly 4 km deep and about the same across at its mouth.
Ukraine’s General Staff has reported several dozen Russian assaults near Hulyaipole. Meanwhile, on an official map, Ukrainian commanders show that Russian forces have not reached the northeastern outskirts and have not occupied Vesele.
