Rāyevs points to worrying frontline sectors in Ukraine: Vovchansk and Orikhiv direction
Latvian Saeima deputy and National Armed Forces reserve colonel Igors Rajevs has said that alongside less reliable wartime narratives, several frontline sectors in Ukraine warrant serious concern. He specifically mentioned the Vovchansk area and the Orikhiv direction.
In an interview on TV24 program “About the war in Ukraine with Igor Rāyevs”, Igors Rāyevs, a Saeima deputy and a reserve colonel of the Latvian National Armed Forces, said that along with wartime stories that do not reflect reality, there are frontline sectors that should be taken seriously.
One such area is the vicinity of Vovchansk and the so-called triangle in the northern part of the front. Rāyevs described the situation there as complicated. Over the weekend, Russia announced that it had captured Vasylyvka, Blahodatne and Davyidanka, and possibly also Slyznyva, but these claims have not yet been confirmed.
According to Rāyevs, further developments in this area could create serious problems for Ukrainian forces. If the Russian army managed to seize several key positions and continue its advance, Ukrainian units in this sector would face significant difficulties. The Ukrainian military has already sent reserve units to the area to prevent further Russian progress.
The second problematic sector, Rāyevs said, is the Orikhiv direction. There is currently no factual confirmation that Russian forces have significantly advanced, but there have been reports of attacks on Novopavlivka and Chervona Krynytsia. He warned that such Russian activity could further worsen the position of Ukrainian troops around Orikhiv. Ukrainian units are already under pressure, and a breakthrough in this sector would make the situation even more difficult.
Rāyevs noted that there is not yet sufficient confirmation about Russian movement in these areas, calling it a large grey zone. He expressed hope that none of the negative scenarios would be confirmed in the coming week.
He also reminded that heavy fighting for individual villages and positions has been going on for years. If Ukrainian forces failed to hold the current front line and this segment collapsed, the next defence lines would be closer to Zaporizhzhia, which would be even more alarming.
