Kyiv [Ukraine], July 26 : Ukrainian forces have launched a major offensive in the Zaporizhzhia region, to the south of Orikhiv, as they appear to build on modest gains in the area over the past couple of days, CNN reported on Wednesday citing Russian-installed officials and military bloggers.
“Zaporizhzhia front - the second wave of the [Armed Forces of Ukraine] counteroffensive has begun,” a member of the Russian-installed Zaporizhzhia military-civilian administration Vladimir Rogov posted on Telegram on Wednesday.
“The enemy has sent maximum forces to break through our defenses in the Orekhov (Russian spelling of Orikhiv) direction.” “Early this morning after massive artillery preparation and air strikes the [Ukrainians] went to storm our positions near Rabotino (Russian spelling of Robotyne),” he added.
The Russian-installed governor of the Zaporizhzhia region, Yevgeny Balitsky, also said a Ukrainian attack was underway. Well-connected Russian military blogger Rybar described a similar situation along the southern front, CNN reported.
“After artillery preparation by a howitzer division and a jet battery of the formation, [Ukrainian assault detachments] swooped down to break through the northeast of Rabotino (Russian spelling for Robotyne),” they wrote, describing an attack with dozens or armoured vehicles, “including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, armoured personnel carriers and armoured combat vehicles," CNN quoted the officials as stating.
“The enemy managed to penetrate in three areas,” Rybar also said. “Now fierce battles are going on in this area".
Meanwhile, Kyiv has remained silent and has not yet commented on this reported offensive, which follows from advances its forces had made in the area in previous days, CNN reported.
However, amid speculations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Ukrainian soldiers and expressed belief in them.
“We believe in our guys. We continue to work,” he posted on Telegram after being updated by the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
In its morning update, the Ukrainian military’s General Staff said that “Ukrainian Defense Forces continue to conduct offensive operations in the Bakhmut, Melitopol and Berdiansk directions.”
“The enemy made unsuccessful attempts to regain the lost position northeast of Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia region,” it also said, without going into detail. “At the same time, it continues to put up strong resistance, moves units and troops, and actively uses reserves," CNN reported.
On the Zaporizhzhia front as well, Ukrainian forces continued to make advances along the Velyka Novosilka – Berdiansk axis.
“Ukrainian troops were successful in the Staromaiorske area on the southern front,” CNN quoted the spokesman of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Andrii Kovalev, said on Wednesday. “[Ukrainian] Defense Forces are entrenched there at the achieved boundaries [of the city].
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