Ukrainian forces have advanced about 16-19 kilometers along their two main offensive lines during their counteroffensive that began in June.
Ukrainian forces have advanced “somewhat” on their two main lines of attack, the newspaper says The New York Times.
The Ukrainians are now trying to advance in the south along two main attack lines: through the village of Staromajorsk in the east towards the Russian-occupied city of Berdyansk and in the west towards the occupied city of Melitopol.
The goal is to cut off the land bridge between the occupied regions of eastern Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula, which is an important supply route for Russian troops.
The Ukrainian troops have advanced on both offensive lines by approximately 16-19 kilometers during the counterattack that started in early June. The total number of areas liberated during the counterattack is about 388 square kilometers, the newspaper says The Wall Street Journal.
American think tank The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), however, considers the relatively small advance to be “tactically significant”, as it is likely to weaken Russia’s defense lines as a whole. ISW estimates that it creates opportunities for “any Ukrainian breakthrough”.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have also achieved “partial success” near the village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army news agency Reuters by.
The Ukrainians have also launched an attack on the city of Kozachi Laher on the east bank of the Dnieper. The Ukrainian military has not confirmed the operation. Satellite images confirm that there has been fighting in the area, although many things about the Kozatči Laher attack are still unclear.
According to a well-known Russian war blogger, the Ukrainians still hold a “small bridgehead position” west of the city, the New York Times reports.
The Ukrainians have increased the pressure on the Crimean peninsula
On Saturday, the governor of the Crimea region appointed by the Russian occupation regime Sergei Aksyonov said Russian air defenses shot down three Ukrainian missiles over the Kerch Strait bridge. Earlier on Saturday, Russia said it had destroyed an additional 20 Ukrainian drones near the Crimean peninsula.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Ukrainians would have tried to hit the bridge with S-200 missiles. Aksyonov claimed at the time that the bridge was not damaged in the attacks.
Earlier this month, attacks were also carried out on other bridges connecting Crimea and the mainland.
Attacks were made on the Tsonhar bridge and on a bridge near the town of Henichesk in the Kherson region.