British intelligence identifies main direction of enemy advancement

This was stated in a report by the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom published on Nov. 5.

It notes that the occupiers captured several small settlements over the past week, advancing up to 9 kilometers in some areas of the front. British intelligence indicated that the Russians achieved this after taking control of Vuhledar in early October.

Additionally, in southern Donetsk Oblast, the Russians captured Hirnyk and claim to have taken Kurakhivka.

“Fifteen kilometers southeast of Pokrovsk, Russia captured Selydove, likely creating additional conditions for a threat to the logistics hub in Pokrovsk,” the report stated.

The UK Ministry of Defence emphasized that “Russia continues to prioritize the southern Donetsk front.”

“By maintaining a favorable balance of forces in this sector, this partly explains the accelerated pace of the Russian offensive,” the report noted.

The UK Ministry of Defence also mentioned that despite significant personnel losses, Russia continues to recruit a large number of servicemen, enabling it to sustain its operations.

Situation on the front in Donetsk Oblast

On Oct. 30, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that in some areas of the front, the ratio of Ukrainian to Russian troops is 1 to 8, forcing the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) to retreat from their positions.

On Oct. 31, DeepState reported that the Russians had captured Selydove. The General Staff of the AFU stated that the Defense Forces repelled assaults in the direction of the city.

In the Toretsk direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces stabilized the situation and prevented the Russian occupiers from advancing further into Toretsk, according to the spokesperson for the Luhansk community, Anastasia Bobovnikova.

According to the publication Welt, Russian occupation forces captured 470 square kilometers in eastern Ukraine in October. Estonian intelligence reported that last week, Russian troops occupied about 150 square kilometers in Donetsk Oblast.

On Nov. 1, Bloomberg also reported that Russia captured more territory in eastern Ukraine last week than in any other period of 2024 — over 200 square kilometers were added to the area seized during the summer Russian offensive.

The Commander-in-Chief of the AFU, Oleksandr Syrskyi, stated on Nov. 2 that Ukrainian defenders are currently holding back one of the strongest enemy offensives since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

The New York Times, analyzing the situation on the front, reported that a breakthrough by Russia near Toretsk could have catastrophic consequences for the defense of the AFU.

On Nov. 5, DeepState analysts reported that the Russian army had occupied Stepanyvka in Donetsk Oblast.