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Soldiers of a separate Territorial Defense Brigade from Dnipro fired at Russian positions with a Partizan rocket launcher. © Ukrinform/dpa
According to a media report, Ukraine has launched its most important counter-offensive to date in the south. Thousands of soldiers are said to be involved. “This is the big test,” says Washington.
According to a report by the New York Times, the Ukrainian armed forces have begun their most important push against the Russian invaders to date in their counter-offensive, which has been going on for around seven weeks.
The US newspaper, citing two unnamed Pentagon officials, reported that thousands of soldiers, some of whom were trained and equipped by the West, were involved in this in the south-east of the country and had previously been held in reserve. The aim was to advance south through Russian-laid minefields and other barriers to the city of Tokmak and, if possible, to Melitopol, about 40 kilometers from the coast.
“This is the great test”
The goal is to sever the land bridge between Russian-occupied Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula, or at least to advance so far that the strategically important peninsula comes within range of Ukrainian artillery. The Black Sea Peninsula was annexed by Russia in 2014. The advance could take up to three weeks if successful, it said, citing Ukrainian officials. The White House and the Pentagon were closely monitoring the activities. “This is the big test,” the New York Times quoted a senior official as saying. The Washington Post also reported on a new push by the Ukrainian military to reach the Sea of Azov.
ISW: Some Russian defenses breached
The US Institute for War Studies ISW in Washington also wrote about a significant Ukrainian counter-offensive in the west of the Zaporizhia region. Apparently some Russian defenses south of Orikhiw were breached. However, the institute warned on Wednesday that Western officials were raising expectations of rapid Ukrainian advances that Ukrainian forces are unlikely to be able to meet. The ISW continues to assume that Ukraine can make significant progress in its counter-offensives, but over a long period of time. dpa
2023-07-29 01:33:15
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