Ukraine liberates village in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, military claims
Editor's note: The story was updated with the comments of President Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladyslav Voloshyn, the Southern Defense Forces spokesperson.
Ukrainian troops have liberated the village of Mali Shcherbaky in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine's 24th Separate Assault Battalion "Aidar" announced on Oct. 12.
According to the statement, units of the Aidar Battalion, together with the 33rd Separate Assault Regiment raised the Ukrainian flag over Mali Shcherbaky.
"The settlement is under the control of the Ukrainian Defense Forces," the battalion said, releasing footage purportedly showing Ukrainian soldiers in the village.
The liberation of the village was later confirmed by the General Staff. Ukrainian forces advanced 3.5 kilometers (about 2.2 miles) inland, reportedly inflicting heavy losses on Russian troops and capturing several prisoners, according to the statement.
It remains unclear when exactly the village was liberated.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his evening address on Oct. 12 that Ukrainian forces were continuing counteroffensive operations near Dobropillia in Donetsk Oblast, as well as in other areas, including around Orikhiv in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Vladyslav Voloshyn, the Southern Defense Forces spokesperson, confirmed to the Kyiv Independent that Ukrainian forces are continuing an operation to improve the tactical situation along this section of the front line.
According to Voloshyn, Ukrainian troops are holding defensive positions and preventing Russian forces from advancing, particularly near the settlements of Kamianske, Stepove, and Plavni. Meanwhile, Russian forces are attempting to bring assault units closer to the front line, especially near the village of Mala Tokmachka.
"(Russia) plans to carry out assault operations using small infantry groups. In addition, the enemy continues to launch frequent attacks with kamikaze drones," Voloshyn said.
"Every day we record an increase in the number of artillery strikes — over 250 daily. If earlier (Russian forces) used 700–800 rounds per day, now it is 1,000 to 1,100 or more," the spokesperson said, adding that Russia's goal is the complete destruction of Ukrainian positions.
Voloshyn also emphasized that it is still too early to speak of a Ukrainian advance, as the operation is ongoing.
Mali Shcherbaky lies in the Orikhiv sector in Ukraine's southeastern Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Russian troops advanced toward the settlement in early summer. Since then, it had remained either in a contested grey zone or under Russian control, according to the open-source battlefield monitoring group DeepState.
In early September, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said that Russian forces had planned to launch a major offensive in the Zaporizhzhia direction but Ukrainian troops prevented the operation.
Moscow currently occupies about 70% of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, but the regional capital, Zaporizhzhia, remains under Ukrainian control.
Over the past month, Ukrainian forces have been pushing back Russian troops who had advanced 15-20 kilometers (6 miles) toward the strategic Dobropillia–Kramatorsk highway, near the contested city of Pokrovsk.
In the meantime, Russian forces continue pushing into the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk Oblast though Syrskyi called the presence of Russian troops there merely "declarative."
Kateryna Denisova
