The deputy commander of the Ukrainian forces in the south of the country, Serguí Kuzmin, stressed that his troops were advancing several hundred meters near the strategic village of Robotyne, in the heart of the Zaporijia region.
“We have reached the front line of the occupiers. The front line is very difficult, but our soldiers are advancing”, he guaranteed according to the Ukrainska Pravda daily, quoted by the Efe news agency.
Kuzmin stressed that these operations are targeting the city of Melitopol, whose capture would open the way for the Ukrainians to reach the Sea of Azov.
“We are making progress, although this advance is being slowed down by minefields and the lack of aviation,” he stressed.
The army also pointed out that troops are advancing from Kiev to the port of Berdyansk, an important region for cutting the land corridor between Donbass and Crimea.
Another goal is to take control of Energodar, a city near the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
Also today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured that “all attention” is focused on the counter-offensive.
Zelensky said in a message via the Telegram social network that he discussed next steps, military reserves and enemy actions during a meeting with the army high command.
The counter-offensive launched on June 4 is accompanied by fine summer weather, but the approach of the rainy season has raised fears that the operations will face further setbacks.
The chief adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, Mikhailo Podoliak, this Wednesday defended the progress of the counter-offensive in the face of questions and criticism, recalling that before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the main international powers “feared hysterically” about the Russian armed forces, and they had no idea that the war could be “effectively fought”.
“Everyone should be patient and closely monitor the high-quality work of the Ukrainian armed forces,” Podoliak said via social network X (formerly Twitter).
Podoliak also stressed that after Ukraine succeeds with the counter-offensive “Russia will cease to exist as a military threat (…) at least to Ukraine and to Europe”.
Ukraine also received good news from the Allies side, with US President Joe Biden giving the “green light” for the immediate start of training Ukrainian pilots in the use of F-16 fighter jets.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh confirmed the information, adding that Denmark and the Netherlands are the countries that have shown the greatest interest in training.
Kiev argues that aircraft are essential to attack Russian defense positions, but also the logistics chains in the rear.
On the other hand, the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall bought 50 Leopard 1 tanks from the Belgian company OIP Land Systems.
The German newspaper Handelsblatt specified that Rheinmetall will repair these main battle tanks at its Düsseldorf factory and later deliver 30 of these Leopards to Kiev. The Deutsche Welle agency pointed to the delivery of 25 tanks.
Turning to the military equipment already supplied by the West, the Wall Street Journal today emphasized that US cluster munitions, which arrived in Ukraine in mid-July, play a key role in the counteroffensive.
In addition, Russian Defense Minister Serguei Shoigu accused Washington of committing a “war crime” by handing over prohibited weapons.
The military offensive that Russia launched in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, triggered the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II (1939-1945), according to the latest UN data.
The Russian invasion – justified by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russian security – was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and Russia political and economic sanctions.
Source: DN
