Ukrainian forces have reportedly breached Russia’s first (and strongest) line of defense in the south and have targeted Moscow military units providing cover for fleeing soldiers.
The advance came after weeks of slow progress as Ukrainian forces cleared minefields in the Zaporizhzhia region amid the counterattack, a senior military official said.
Brig. General Oleksandr Tarnavskiy told The Guardian that Moscow’s first line of defense was the strongest, because Russia devoted most of its resources to it, as they did not expect Ukraine to go that far.
Tarnavskyi estimated that Russia spent around 60% of its time and resources building the initial defense line, while it devoted around 20% each to its second and third lines.
“Now we are between the first and the second defensive line,” he said.
“In the center of the offensive, we are now completing the destruction of the enemy units that provide cover for the withdrawal of Russian troops behind their second defensive line,” he added.
In the weeks before the advance, Ukrainian infantry engineers meticulously cleared a route through a minefield while Russian troops “just stood by and waited for the Ukrainian army” while they did so, using drones and artillery to attack vehicles.
However, since the defensive line was breached, Moscow began moving troops from Kherson in the west and Lyman in the northeast, as well as from inside Russia, to the southern region.
Ukraine has broken through the Russian defense line in the south. PA
Ukrainian soldiers carrying out a counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region were filmed burning Russian flags. @www.dshv.mil.gov.ua/Newsflash
“The enemy is withdrawing reserves, not only from Ukraine but also from Russia,” Tarnavskiy said.
“But sooner or later, the Russians will be left without the best soldiers. This will give us a boost to attack faster and faster. Everything is ahead of us.”
He added that the counteroffensive got off to a slow start because of the demining process – which had to be carried out at night to avoid Russian attacks – and because wounded soldiers had to be evacuated.
However, he said the breakthrough was a big step.
“In my opinion, the Russians believed that the Ukrainians would not break through this line of defense,” Tarnavskiy said.
Ukraine has focused on attacking Russian military units used to provide covering fire for retreating troops, the brigadier-general said. said General Oleksandr Tarnavskiy.AP
“They had been preparing for over a year. They did everything they could to make sure this area was well prepared.”
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Washington has taken note of Ukraine’s counteroffensive, which he said made “some notable progress” in the past 72 hours.
The developments came as the United States appears to be planning to ship controversial depleted uranium munitions as part of a new aid package.
The multibillion-dollar aid package could include uranium shells, which use a dense metal to penetrate armor, that are designed to be fired from US-made Abrams tanks, which are expected to be included in the same package, according to a report that cites a draft document and two US officials.
The UK sent depleted uranium shells, intended for use in Britain’s Challenger 2 tanks, in March, though the decision sparked backlash after Russia used the shipment of shells, which they said contained a “nuclear component”, as a pretext for stationing nuclear weapons. on Belarusian territory.
Meanwhile, Ukraine continued to attack a key bridge linking Russia to Crimea, according to Moscow officials.
Russia destroyed three naval drones that were trying to attack the bridge, causing it to be temporarily closed for the third time in less than a year, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday.
Ukraine, which has generally avoided commenting on the attacks carried out from Russian soil, did not confirm whether it launched the drones.
With pole cables
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Source: vtt.edu.vn