Hanna Maliar, deputy minister of defense of Ukraine, confirmed Monday that Ukrainian troops had recaptured at least one village in the Zaporizhzhia region and were on track to make further gains amid “fierce resistance” from dug-in Russian forces. File Photo by Sergey Dolzhenko EPA-EFE
Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive continued to notch up incremental gains, recapturing a village on the southern front Monday and continuing to advance to the south and southeast, according to the defense ministry.
Offensive operations had liberated the village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region with troops still moving farther to the southeast in the direction of Novodanylivka, Novoprokopivka, Mala Tokmachka and Ocheretuvate, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Ukrainian television. Advertisement
Capturing Robotyne clears a path for troops to advance toward Russian-occupied Tokmak and Melitopol.
The troops were advancing “despite fierce enemy resistance,” Ukraine’s Military Media Center wrote on social media.
Maliar said Ukrainian forces were also advancing in the eastern Donetsk region near Bakhmut, regaining 0.4 square miles to the south of the city during the past seven days bringing the total recaptured since Ukraine launched its summer counteroffensive in June to 17 square miles.
President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed news of the gains as proof of Ukraine’s resolve to drive out the Russian occupation.
“Ukraine has shown that the liberation of our land during combat operations is no accident. Everything is deserved. It is the heroism of our people and the defense support from our partners. It is the courage of Ukrainians and the solidarity of the world working for such a desirable common result,” Zelensky said. Advertisement
Meanwhile, Britain’s Defense Ministry said Monday it was “highly likely” Russia had canceled major annual joint strategic exercises planned for September in the west of the country because too few troops and equipment were available.
ZAPAD “West” 23, intended to mark the culmination of the Russian military’s training year, may also have fallen victim to fears of a public backlash to another glossily produced public relations exercise, the report said.
Following a switch to staging the event in western Russia in order to prioritize the perceived threat posed by NATO, ZAPAD 21 was the largest military exercise held by Russia since the Soviet era.
