Ukrainian forces continued to try and expand their gains around the southeastern Zaporizhzhia village of Robotyne after they were able to breach Russian defenses, according to Ukrainian sources.
Efforts are now focused on widening the bridgehead, with fighting near Verbove, a few kilometers to the east.
“There have been heavy battles near Verbove, and a very tough fight is going on near the trenches of the first line of defense of the Russians. Fighting is mainly southwest of the settlement for access to the heights,” Ukraine’s 46th Brigade said on Tuesday.
“The enemy is putting up fierce resistance. There is a constant transition of positions from hand to hand. While some are restraining the Russians, others are expanding the bridgehead,” it continued.
Both sides are relying heavily on artillery and drones to try and prevent each other from advancing, with the situation at the front remaining very fluid, according to both Ukrainian sources and well-connected Russian military bloggers.
“Heavy fighting continues in the southern part of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia direction,” said one Russian military blogger, Voenkor Lisitsin, on Telegram Tuesday. “The enemy is pulling more and more reserves to this area, which are being hit by the artillery of Russian units. The AFU still managed to advance on the Robotyne-Verbove line towards Ocherevate and Novopokrovka.”
Another pro-Russian blogger, Dva Maiora, added that Russian forces had been able to strike some Western donated equipment.
“In the Zaporizhzhia front at the Robotyne-Verbove line, a number of AFU armored vehicles, including Leopards, were hit,” Maiora wrote on Telegram Tuesday. “The enemy’s attacks were concentrated on Verbove.”
For its part, Ukrainian forces say they continue to advance in the area.
“In the direction of Robotyne – Novoprokopivka, the Ukrainians continue to consolidate to the east of the settlement. Yesterday the guys took a very important enemy stronghold. It was hard work – almost 5 days of fighting, but it was necessary,” the 46th Brigade said.
The brigade said the Russians “have reinforced the northern flank between Robotyne and Novoprokopivka and moved their reserves there, one has to work in an ‘inconvenient’ direction to the east and northeast.”
“This narrows the space for maneuver, but at least the guys are moving,” it added.
As is customary, officials in Kyiv have remained relatively silent on military progress at the front. The Ukrainian military’s General Staff said only that its forces “continue to conduct offensive operation in the Bakhmut and Melitopol direction,” adding they were consolidating their gains.
What Moscow is saying: The Russian Defense Ministry for its part rejected any Ukrainian advances saying its forces had successfully repelled two Ukrainian attacks near Robotyne.
“In the Zaporizhzhia direction, units of the Russian grouping of troops, aviation, artillery, and heavy flamethrower systems have repelled two attacks by the 47th Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of the village of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia region,” the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Tuesday.
