Russia is relocating its troops to the southern front line from other sectors, as Ukrainian forces continue to advance in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, an official within the National Guard said on Sept. 7.
The Russian military is reinforcing the units currently holding the Russian line in the Berdiansk and Melitopol sectors, Mykola Urshalovych told a press briefing.
Over the past week, Ukraine’s Offensive Guard assault brigades, a formation under the command of the National Guard, destroyed up to a platoon of Russian soldiers with the support of the Armed Forces, having advanced “both in the depth of Russian defenses and along the front line" in the Melitopol direction, according to Urshalovych.
On the same day, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported that Ukrainian forces had achieved some success south of Robotyne and west of Verbove in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Asami Terajima
The General Staff’s spokesperson didn’t provide any further details on the advance.
Verbove lies around 10 kilometers to the east of the recently liberated Robotyne and almost 100 kilometers northeast of Melitopol, the key city for cutting off the land bridge between Russia and occupied Crimea.
At the same time, Russian war commentators claim that Russian brigades in Ukraine lack sufficient supplies, particularly artillery munitions, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
Russian commentators who follow the war closely have claimed that troops are relying on "limited stockpiles" of artillery, thus "performing poorly along the front in Ukraine."
Igor Kossov
(Updated: )
