2023-09-03 10:05:00
The Ukrainian defenders are now between the first and second lines of defense of the Russians in the south, the commander of the troops deployed in the Zaporizhia region said in an interview with the Observer.
On the first line alone, the Russians have expended 60 percent of their resources and time, he said. Tarnawskyj, who also linked the interview with the Sunday edition of the British newspaper “The Guardian” in his Telegram channel, also said that only 20 percent of the resources can be expected for defense lines two and three. The Ukrainians are currently moving towards the second line, he said. The counteroffensive had long been hampered by a huge minefield in the region. Tarnawskyj said that demining was mainly done at night.
The destination is the Azov Sea, 90 kilometers away
In the Zaporizhia region, the Ukrainian army finally defeated Russian defenses near Robotyne after weeks of fighting. Now the next Russian line is to be attacked, blocking the way to the occupied cities of Tokmak and Melitopol. The goal is to reach the Sea of Azov, about 90 kilometers away, and to cut off the Russian troops.
Ukrainian armed forces have been reporting progress for days
The Ukrainian armed forces have been reporting progress in the region for days, which the US Institute for War Studies ISW also wrote about in its analysis published in Washington on Saturday (local time). There was also talk of problems with the Moscow occupying forces, citing Russian sources. For Russia, the situation at the front is deteriorating. In the Bakhmut area in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has repeatedly reported gaining ground in the fight against the Russian occupiers.
more on the subject
Ukraine reports shooting down of 22 Russian drones in Odessa region
Repelled drone attacks
Meanwhile, Ukraine says it has repelled several Russian drone strikes in the Odessa region. 22 Iranian-made Shahed drones were destroyed, the Ukrainian Air Force announced on Sunday in the online service Telegram. In total, Russia used 25 drones in the night attack waves.
According to official figures, Russia committed around 280,000 professional soldiers this year. According to the Defense Ministry, they were accepted into the military on a contractual basis, said former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, according to the TASS news agency, during a visit to Russia’s Far East. There he consulted with local authorities on how the military could be further strengthened.
Medvedev is currently Deputy Head of the Russian Security Council. According to Medvedev, the number of 280,000 soldiers also includes reservists. In September 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the partial mobilization of 300,000 reservists. Putin rejected speculation about a further mobilization campaign afterwards.
Ukraine is fighting for its independence with Western help in the war started by Russia on February 24, 2002. In the counteroffensive, Kiev wants to liberate the Zaporizhia, Donetsk, Luhansk and Cherson areas, some of which are controlled by Moscow, from the Russian occupation. One of Kiev’s goals is to recapture the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014 in violation of international law.
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