29-8-2023 (KYIV) In a significant development in the ongoing conflict with Russia, Ukraine announced on Monday that it had successfully recaptured a village on the southern frontline. The Ukrainian forces are hoping that this breakthrough will help them gain an advantage over the entrenched Russian positions.
The offensive was launched by Kyiv in June, following the accumulation of Western-supplied weapons and the establishment of assault battalions to target Russian positions. However, despite these efforts, progress has been slow, and Ukrainian officials have acknowledged that their forces are facing resource constraints. Moscow, on the other hand, claims that the Ukrainian forces are running out of resources.
Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Malyar appeared on television to deliver the news of the village’s liberation. “Robotyne has been liberated. Our forces are advancing southeast of Robotyne and south of Mala Tokmachka,” she stated. Both settlements are located in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia, which is one of the four regions that the Kremlin claimed to have annexed last year, despite not having military control over any of them.
The limited advances made by Ukraine on the southern front have triggered a political debate in Western capitals regarding political and military support for Kyiv. Ukrainian forces are currently facing the daunting task of breaking through Russian defensive lines, which consist of deep trenches and minefields, unlike previous offensives in the Kherson and Kharkiv regions.
However, analysts argue that the recapture of Robotyne serves as evidence that Ukrainian forces can indeed breach Russian lines as they move towards the Black Sea.
The US-based Institute for the Study of War has reported that Russia has dedicated significant resources, including materiel, manpower, and effort, to maintain the series of defensive positions that Ukrainian forces are currently penetrating.
In addition to regaining control of several hamlets in the south, Ukrainian forces have exerted pressure on the flanks of Bakhmut, an eastern town that was captured by Russia in May. Malyar revealed that Ukrainian troops were making progress south of Bakhmut and had recaptured approximately one square kilometer of territory during the past week of fighting.
Malyar also acknowledged that Russian forces were attempting to reclaim territory in the northeast of Ukraine, describing the fighting in the Kharkiv region as “very intense” during the past week. Ukrainian officials estimate that Russia has deployed around 100,000 additional troops to the frontlines in the northeast to exert pressure on the defensive lines.
British intelligence services have warned that Russia might try to divert Ukrainian military resources by solidifying its positions in Kharkiv.
While progress on the frontline has been slow, both sides have been engaged in aerial assault campaigns.
An overnight Russian missile strike targeted an industrial facility in the central region of Poltava, resulting in three deaths and five injuries, according to the police. Images released by Kyiv showed law enforcement officials standing beside a large blaze engulfing part of a factory, with black smoke billowing into the sky.
Andriy Yermak, the Presidential chief of staff, reported on social media that Russian forces had attacked an oil facility in the town of Gogoleve, resulting in the deaths of two employees.
The Ukrainian air force confirmed that Russia had launched six cruise missiles, but their air defense systems successfully downed four of them. The Russian defense ministry stated that the strikes targeted a weapons depot and claimed that the assigned targets had been hit.
Earlier, Russian authorities had reported the destruction of a drone approaching Moscow and two drones in a region bordering Ukraine. Russian-installed authorities in Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014, later announced that two Ukrainian drones had been shot down over the peninsula.
Ella Pamfilova, the head of Russia’s election commission, announced on Monday that early voting for local elections in the four newly annexed territories, as well as Crimea, would begin this week. Previous ballots in occupied territories have been dismissed by Kyiv and its Western allies. Russia is scheduled to hold local elections on September 10 for various regional officials.
