Ukrainian forces have retaken 4.8 square kilometers of land from Russian troops on the southern front over the past week, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Sept. 11.
As Ukraine continues its advance towards Melitopol, operations to the south of Robotyne and the west of Verbove in Zaporizhzhia Oblast have been successful, Maliar added.
Maliar's statement was consistent with the latest assessment by the Institute for the Study of War, which said that Ukrainian forces had made gains east of Novoprokopivka, which is a few kilometers to the south of Robotyne.
Maliar said that Ukrainian forces have now retaken 256.5 square kilometers of land in the south in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and a part of Donetsk Oblast.
The area is the focus of Ukraine's summer counteroffensive. Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley said on Sept. 10 that although the operation is going slower than expected, Ukraine is still "progressing at a very steady pace through the Russian front lines."
However, Ukraine likely has about 30 to 45 days for the counteroffensive before the weather worsens on the ground, according to Milley.
Asami Terajima
