In the direction of Svatove-Kreminna, very heavy fighting is currently going on, but the armed forces are already a few kilometers away from Kreminna, and by the end of the year one of these towns may be freed from Russian troops.

In an interview with TSN.ua, the head of Luhansk OVA, Serhiy Gaidai, told about this.

He emphasized that the occupiers had carefully prepared for the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the region.

"The de-occupation of each settlement was very difficult. But

, because they have already prepared very carefully. The only thing that gives me the opportunity to talk about good news in the near future is that I see how events are developing in the direction of Svatovo and Kreminnaya. Although now a huge number of troops have been withdrawn to Svatovo (the occupiers - ed.). The Russians even have such a fantastic and stupid idea - to launch a counterattack on Kupyansk. Very heavy battles are taking place there now, but our troops a few kilometers from Kreminnaya. I hope that

," Gaidai predicts.

He also explained how critical the loss of Svatovoy and Kreminnaya would be for the Russians. 

"It is very critical for the formation and planning of logistics in the Luhansk region. Because what is Svatov? These are three directions. One direction is directly towards the Russian Federation, to Troitske to the border. The second direction is to Starobilsk, which is the logistics center of the Luhansk region as a whole And the third direction is Svatove-Kreminna, which, by the way, is already quite dangerous for them, because

, "said the head of the Luhansk Region.

He added that Russian troops can no longer pass there calmly, and therefore cannot transfer manpower, equipment, ammunition and fuel and lubricants in a timely manner. 

"

, doesn't give them the opportunity to make some kind of counteroffensive there. But still, they prepared carefully. Still, they mined everything there. And there are just a huge number of them there," the head of the OVA emphasized.

We will remind, Gaidai predicts the liberation of the entire Luhansk region in 2023, and by the New Year he considers it possible to de-occupy Svatovoy or Kreminnaya.

At the same time, he named several directions where it will be very difficult for the Armed Forces.

It should be noted that on November 9, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the difficult front-line situation in the key areas of Donbas - Bakhmut, Soledar, Mar'inka, Kreminna.

At the same time, according to military expert Oleg Zhdanov, the Russian army has already lost its offensive potential and risks losing its defensive potential.

Read also:

• When the turning point in the war with Russia may come: a military expert voiced a forecast

• Which of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine is the least "protected" by the Russians - Piontkovsky's opinion

• Zelensky talked about the demilitarization of Russia's border

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