The situation near Constantinople and in Ulaklar: Is it possible to halt the advance of the Russian Armed Forces?

On the night of February 18, Ukrainian military journalist Bohdan Miroshnikov reported that the village of Ulakly in the Donetsk region is nearly captured, and counterattacks have failed.

Situation in Ulakly: what's happening at the front

"Everything up to Ulakly from the side of Dachne is lost. In Konstantiopil, our troops are holding the road in the southern part of the village and its approaches. In all other areas of the village, enemy infantry has infiltrated and accumulated significantly," said war correspondent Miroshnikov.

He mentioned that a brigade and separate units from another have been added to this front section, but they failed to accomplish their tasks due to issues with coordination, infantry, and "chaos" in management at the ATG level.

"A 'fiery' hello to the commander of the ATG 'Donetsk' Tarnavskyi from the guys who were first 'forgotten' in one of the villages, and then were not given the 'green light' to exit. Why are there no such problems in the northern part of the ATG 'Donetsk' zone now, while in the south of the same ATG zone they have just ignored it, leading to a catastrophe?" he emphasized.

According to Miroshnikov, among those encircled were some of the most trained brigades. As a result, there is an equalization of the frontline with the Russian Armed Forces, and a foothold has emerged for an offensive towards the triangle of Filya – Hrushevske – Yalta, as well as towards Huliaipole.

"Oh, and the left flank of Pokrovsk is now completely and utterly secured against the swamp vermin," he noted.

Later, the war correspondent revealed that not everyone was able to escape from Ulakly, and there are casualties and prisoners. He is convinced that this could have been prevented if an order to withdraw from the encirclement had been issued in time.

"But that was not done. Because General Tarnavskyi, as the commander of the ATU 'Donetsk', needs good reports up the chain that 'we are holding everything there.' In reality, control over the situation was lost about two weeks ago. And the further it goes, the more it escalates," explained Bohdan Miroshnikov.

However, according to him, the Defense Forces are still managing to hold Konstantiopil, and the village has been cleared of the enemy. Ukrainian units still remain in the populated area of Ulakly.

"The entire situation in Konstantiopil and parts of Ulakly relies solely on our fighters and their initiative. Our paratroopers, marines, and mechanized units are holding a very narrow pocket purely on their character," added the war correspondent.

"Russians from Zelenivka are currently trying to advance into these two populated areas and establish a foothold. They have partially entered Ulakly and partially the outer houses in Konstantiopil," said Pohorilyi.

According to him, prior to this, the Russian Armed Forces were amassing a large amount of resources, which they are now deploying. There was a situation where the enemy conducted assault operations in multiple waves, involving over 50 units of various types of equipment. The occupiers are attempting to pressure through their resources, gaining advantages in both infantry and equipment. As a result, this complicates the work of Ukrainian units in defense. Consequently, the situation in Ulakly has worsened due to the enemy's superiority.

"Our troops are trying to push the enemy out of Ulakly. Why? The Russians have effectively cut off the logistics route leading to Dachne. By severing this route, they are narrowing the corridor between our forces, which currently serves as the main logistics route for our garrison in the populated area of Dachne," reported Oleg Zhdanov.

He noted that this poses a huge problem for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Russians are attempting to encircle Ukrainian fighters in the Dachne area.

Additionally, co-founder of DeepState noted that there is significant pressure on Andriivka, the attention is dispersed, and the Defense Forces are trying to hold back the enemy horde.

According to Zhdanov, the Russians are puzzled as to why they were able to easily break into Andriivka and establish a foothold. The enemy is expanding the bridgehead in that section of the front.

"In Andriivka itself, in the north, a bad situation is brewing for our garrison as well. There is such a deep incursion here, our command either did not see it again or is hesitant to issue an order to withdraw troops and equalize the front line. We need to deploy reserves and either equalize or hold these flanks," said the expert.

How will events unfold further?

It remains unclear how the situation in Ulakly will develop. According to analyst Pohorilyi, Russia will occupy this populated area and Konstantiopil, and then focus on Andriivka to fully capture the village.

In the event of the capture of Ulakly, the enemy will move towards Konstantiopil, Zhdanov noted. Moreover, if the populated area is occupied, Ukrainian troops in the Dachne area will practically find themselves in a cauldron. Meanwhile, the Russians will either destroy the Defense Forces or force them to surrender.

However, correcting the situation depends on the availability of resources in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. If they are lacking, then troops need to be withdrawn, the expert emphasized. However, evacuating equipment will be difficult.

"Because with the current positioning of Russian troops, I mean the terrain layout, they will simply destroy the equipment, not allowing it to escape from this encirclement," concluded Oleg Zhdanov.

Recall that on February 18, the media reported that recently the Armed Forces of Ukraine repelled an attack by enemy troops in Ulakly and its surroundings. Approximately ten Russian vehicles were destroyed and abandoned as a result.

On February 15, the Russian Armed Forces conducted assaults in the direction of Konstantiopil and Ulakly in the Donbas. According to analysts from DeepState, the enemy deployed between 20 to 37 units of combat equipment.