Day 269: November 19After the Ukrainians completed their operation and liberated Kherson, both parties started relocating their troops to the east as rapidly as possible. The intensity of fights has been increasing along the entire eastern front, with multiple fierce battles taking place simultaneously, in particular in the Luhansk region.Here, some of the most gruesome clashes happened along the Zherebets River. The main goal of the Ukrainians here is to establish a stable bridgehead on the eastern bank of the river for the purpose of developing their offensive further, while the main goal of the Russians is to stay as close to the river as possible to use it as a natural barrier and prevent Ukrainian offensive operation.The Ukrainians have been most successful along the southern segment of the river. The Ukrainians launched a series of attacks on Dibrova. But even though the area of Russian control shrank significantly, the Ukrainians did not manage to take Dibrova in front and decided to move past it.Shortly after that, the Russian commander of the BARS-13 said that the Ukrainians are operating in the vicinity of Kreminna.The Ukrainians have also launched attacks to the north of Dibrova. At first, the fight took place along the tree belt areas but very soon, the Ukrainians managed to take the local high ground, which is located right in between two rivers. As you can see, this put the Russians in Dibrova in an inconvenient situation. The frequency of engagements has also increased. Nonetheless, the Russian defense in Dibrova still holds, which is quite impressive.In the meantime, heavy battles broke out near Nevske and Makiivka. Even though the Russians did not manage to take control of Nevske, they had established a strong presence in the vicinity and attacked it every day. It is very hard for the Ukrainian side to defend this village because, firstly, it is located on the other bank of the river, and secondly, the Russians were attacking from the highlands. Fortunately, the Ukrainians in the central part of the region successfully developed their offensive and established control over the local highs, which worsened the Russian tactical position significantly. If we look at the topographic map, we can see that the area between the two rivers is up to 100 meters above the rivers. So, by conquering the highs in the middle, the Ukrainians could gradually push the Russians from Nevske and start attacking Chervonopopivka. Russian sources reported that the Ukrainians are constantly attacking this town. This is not yet a full-scale attack, but multiple scout and sabotage groups got so deep into the region that they eventually rendered the Svatove-Kreminna road inoperable due to risk.Conquering the highs also allowed the Ukrainians to push the Russians that were attacking Makiivka. The Russians actually took Makiivka, but a recent counterattack pushed them up to 6 km back toward Ploschanka. The success of this counteroffensive was in large part possible due to the control over the local highs, which plays a big role here. That is why the Russians are still able to hold defense in Dibrova and Ploschanka, which are seemingly isolated and weak. Their advantageous position, coupled with very convenient supply systems, makes them really tough targets.Overall, the situation in the southern part of the Luhansk region right now can be described as a battle for the local highs. The elevation changes are quite significant, which means that those who control them can conduct devastating offensives. The Ukrainians understand this, and that is why they prioritize widening their bridgehead over attacking Kreminna and other defenses. The Ukrainians finally have firm control over the high ground in the central part of the region, which they are using to undermine Russian defensive in Dibrova and offensive in Makivvka, which judging by the latest reports seemed to have started falling apart.If you are against the invasion of Ukraine and want to support the work that I am doing, consider making a purchase in the online store UA Supporter. Here you can find a lot of products with Ukrainian symbols, to not only show your support for this channel, but also for Ukraine.