A Ukrainian commander has said forces fighting in the south believe they have broken through the most difficult line of Russian defenses and will now be able to advance much quicker.
“Skala,” who led some of the troops who recently made it into the recently liberated village of Robotyne, told Reuters he is “sure we'll go faster from here.”
“We have passed the main roads that were mined. We are coming to those lines where we can go (forward).”
Skala said only two houses in Robotyne were still under Russian control, adding: “We're fighting for them, and then we'll have full control (of Robotyne).
“We don't stop here. Next we have Berdiansk, and then more.
“I made it clear to my fighters at once: our goal is not Robotyne, our goal is (the Sea of) Azov.”
Fighting for Robotyne has been fierce. The village is at the southern-most tip of an offensive push launched by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) from near the town of Orikhiv, in early June, in an attempt to punch through Russian defensive lines along the T0408 highway, towards its objective in the city of Tokmak.
Breaking through and taking Tokmak will be hugely significant, bringing the Armed Forces of Ukraine one step closer to their goal in the region – reaching the Sea of Azov and cutting the Russia’s occupying forces in two.
On Wednesday Kyiv claimed a semi-breakthrough south of Robotyne. Ukraine Army General Staff chief spokesman Andriy Kovalev in comments widely reported in domestic media said Kyiv’s forces have “achieved success” in fighting around the village Novoprokopivka and were “digging in at the captured positions.”
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In its latest assessment on Friday, the highly-regarded Institute for the Study of War supported Skala’s claims and also highlighted the poor condition of Russian troops defending the area.
It said: “Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations near Robotyne in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast on Aug. 25 and reportedly advanced as Russian milbloggers expressed concern over a lack of reinforcements and troop rotations in the area.
“The milblogger claimed that many of the Russian servicemen fighting near Robotyne have been on the frontline since the start of the Ukrainian counteroffensive and that these units struggle with a shortage of frontline reinforcements.
“This claim supports ISW’s assessment that Russian forces fighting in the western Zaporizhia Oblast area have been defending against Ukrainian attacks since the start of the counteroffensive without rotation or significant reinforcement.”
Elsewhere, the British Ministry of Defense (MoD) believes Russian forces will increase pressure in other areas of Ukraine in an attempt to divert Kyiv’s forces and regain initiative.
In its latest daily report, the MoD wrote: “The Ukrainian counter-offensive has put Russian forces under pressure in Bakhmut and southern Ukraine. Despite this, Russia’s Western Group of Forces has continued small-scale attacks in the north-east, in the Kupiansk-Lyman sector, and has made some limited local advances.
“As Ukraine continues to gradually gain ground in the south, Russia’s doctrine suggests that it will attempt to regain the initiative by pivoting back to an operational level offensive. Kupiansk-Lyman is one potential area for this.
“There is a realistic possibility Russia will increase the intensity of its offensive efforts on the Kupiansk-Lyman axis in the next two months, probably with the objective of advancing west to the Oskil River and creating a buffer zone around Luhansk Oblast.”
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