Serhii Bratchuk, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Volunteer Army, stated this on Espreso TV."The intensification during Russia's so-called major summer offensive also began in the Zaporizhzhia direction. Around mid-July of this year, the enemy began to move quite actively, particularly towards Huliaipole. For the Russians, this was the most consistent direction of advance on the front. The 5th Combined Arms Army of the Russian Federation has been and continues to operate here. They are now being assisted by the 29th Combined Arms Army," noted Bratchuk.According to the spokesman for the Ukrainian Volunteer Army, the Russians are also experiencing exhaustion—they are not immortal, and their resources are currently somewhat strained. We can now see how much effort Russia is exerting to advance and possibly create a pocket near Huliaipole by flanking it and then closing it. The enemy's vision is to stabilize the line of contact here and continue their tactical movement forward."Enemy aviation was very active. The enemy has concentrated what are effectively two combined arms armies, and that is why this advance, unfortunately, has occurred and is ongoing. We had to abandon several settlements, as it made no sense to remain in destroyed fortifications. To simply sacrifice our soldiers would have been wrong and does not align with our vision for this war, so we had to withdraw," Bratchuk added.As of Monday, November 17, Russian troops have advanced in several sectors of the Huliaipole direction, as well as in the Donetsk region.