"Focus on battles will shift": What strategic point interests Russia near Kurakhovo, according to an expert.

The Russian Armed Forces have achieved tactical successes near Kurakhovo and will now shift their focus to a new strategic point. Military expert and co-chair of the "Right Cause" NGO, Dmitry Snegirev, shared details about the situation in the direction during the broadcast on Espresso on January 2.

According to him, preliminary information indicates that the enemy has advanced in the industrial zone of Kurakhovo. This involves not only the territory of the thermal power plant but also the pipe factory.

"Unfortunately, there are tactical successes for the occupiers. The main focus of fighting in the Kurakhovo direction will now shift toward the settlement of Dachne. This is a strategic location for both the Ukrainian Defense Forces and the occupiers," the expert noted.

He explained that Dachne effectively covers the Kurakhovo-Zaporizhzhia highway — "the main logistical component" for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"Therefore, all the intentions of the occupiers are concentrated either on directly establishing [control] or fire control over this location," Snegirev added.

He predicted that after the active phase of fighting in the Kurakhovo direction, the Russian Armed Forces would be redeployed to the Pokrovsk direction. This is "not coincidental," as after capturing the settlement of Shevchenko, which is one of the flanks of the direction, the enemy will try to advance directly toward Pokrovsk.

"From Shevchenko to Pokrovsk, it's about two kilometers. Speaking generally about the situation in the Pokrovsk direction, after capturing not only Shevchenko but also Ukrainka, the occupiers aim to flank the positions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces concentrated in the Pokrovsk agglomeration. This includes Mirnograd, Pokrovsk, and further operational rear areas," the expert reported.

He noted that there is currently information about the advance of Russian occupiers in the areas of the settlements of Solenoye and Vozdvizhenska.

"And this is already a quite dangerous scenario for the Ukrainian Defense Forces. However, as in the Kurakhovo and Pokrovsk directions, the main battles will unfold over specific locations. In the Pokrovsk direction, this is the Pokrovsk-Pavlohrad highway," Snegirev emphasized.

At the same time, he criticized the media for panic over the fact that there are only 8 kilometers left to the administrative borders of the Dnipropetrovsk region.

"These 8 kilometers still need to be overcome because Pokrovsk is a large industrial city with a developed industrial infrastructure and so-called industrial zones. Moreover, discussions are taking place regarding the preparations of both the city itself and the engineering-fortification structures around the city, extending about two kilometers from the city," the expert explained.

Recall that DeepState analysts reported on the advance of the Russian Armed Forces on the first day of the new 2025 year. The Russian occupiers had successes in two directions.

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