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Ukrainian forces have penetrated the first line of Russian defences at a key pocket in the southern front lines, in a tentative sign that Kyiv’s grinding counteroffensive may be gathering pace.
Deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said on Monday that Ukrainian troops had fully liberated the hotly fought for village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region and were “moving south-east . . . despite fierce enemy resistance”.
Ukraine’s military said last week that its forces had raised the national flag in Robotyne but that they remained under fire from Russian forces, which have constructed a series of heavily mined defensive lines along the southern front.
Ukraine’s highly anticipated counteroffensive following Moscow’s February 2022 full-blown invasion of the country began almost three months ago. Fighting was focused on attempting to reach the southern coast and severing the land bridge connecting the Russian mainland to Russian-occupied Crimea.
But progress has been painfully slow, creating tensions between Ukraine and its western allies.
US officials have painted a gloomy picture of the counteroffensive and expressed pessimism that Kyiv will be able to recapture significant territory before wet autumn weather hinders the ability of its forces to manoeuvre, or they run out of combat power.
That has given the village of Robotyne a significance beyond its size, as capture of the settlement potentially opens the way for Ukraine to break through the Russian defences and advance on strategic towns further south, such as logistics hub Tokmak.
According to Ukraine’s military and open source intelligence reports, Ukrainian forces have penetrated the first line of Russian defences beyond Robotyne and are within striking distance of the next defensive layer.
They said Russia was redeploying crack troops from its 76th air assault division to reinforce the area. Ukraine has also used special forces in the fighting around Robotyne, including troops from its 73rd special operations centre.
Oleksandr Shtupun, spokesperson for the local Ukrainian defence forces, said on Sunday that Ukraine had “advanced in the area . . . around Robotyne” and that the Russian army was deploying reinforcements from elsewhere to beef up defences.
But any further Ukrainian advances will be tough against an interconnected system of trenches and tunnels that allows the Russian military to move troops, weapons and ammunition around the frontline. Anti-tank ditches and minefields are adding to the difficulties facing Kyiv’s troops.
“Russian units continue to valiantly slow down Ukrainian units on the southern outskirts of Robotyne,” Russian military blogger Rybar, who has almost 2mn followers on Telegram, wrote on Sunday on the social media app. “Nevertheless, the enemy managed to advance,” Rybar said.
Ukraine’s military has pursued a gradual strategy of attrition that seeks to destroy Russian logistics and artillery systems so that its own forces can breach minefields without taking large casualties. But US officials have reportedly argued that Kyiv needs instead to concentrate its forces to puncture Russian defences in a knockout blow.
However, General Mark Milley, head of the US armed forces, recently gave a cautiously optimistic assessment of Ukraine’s chances.
“They’ve attacked through the first main defensive belt . . . they’re fighting through it,” Milley said in an interview broadcast on Jordanian television on Thursday. “They are making steady progress.”
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