This does not yet mean a broad breakthrough has occurred yet, but that Ukrainian forces are achieving success in this assault, which may have broader strategic implications. JL
Paul Murphy and colleagues report in CNN:
The Ukrainian counteroffensive in the southern part of the country has made notable gains in the last several days (and) has broken through some elements of Russian defensive lines in the southeast Reserve units have come in to capitalize on the opportunity. Ukrainian forces can be seen for the first time at one of Russia's long-stretching "dragon's teeth" defensive lines east of Nove and Kharkove in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia oblast. A Russian official admitted Ukraine forces have been able “to wedge in” three sections of Russia’s first line in the Zaporizhzhia front. “The fighters of these brigades were trained abroad and are equipped with Leopard tanks and Bradley [infantry fighting vehicles].”Ukrainian forces in southern Ukraine can be seen for the first time at one of Russia's long-stretching "dragon's teeth" defensive lines in a new video circulating on Russian social media.
CNN has geolocated the video to an area just east of the small villages of Nove and Kharkove in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia oblast.
The video was taken from a Russian military position and shows a Ukrainian military vehicle moving in a field, heading toward a ditch in front of a large row of "dragon's teeth" — concrete and rebar pyramids that can serve as barriers against tanks. The apparent driver of the vehicle appears and begins running back toward a tree line.
What are the "dragon teeth" lines? For months, satellite images have shown that the Russians have installed the "dragon's teeth" lines across the territory they control in Ukraine. The "teeth" are laid out in three-deep rows that stretch for hundreds of miles; on either side of the concrete lines, Russian forces have also dug massive anti-tank trenches.
When the vehicle hits the trench, a big puff of dirt and smoke is seen. A second later, the front end of the vehicle appears to be stuck, with its front end sitting on top of the trench.
It's unclear what exactly is happening in the video. Pro-Ukrainian channels claim it's their forces testing the ability for a vehicle to make it over the trench and the "dragon teeth," while pro-Russian channels claim it's a casualty of one of their military strikes.
What is clear, however, is the Ukrainian counteroffensive in southern part of the country has made notable gains in the last several days.
While the ability of the Ukrainians to push Russian forces back behind their "dragon teeth" line is a clear indicator, the counteroffensive has been successful so far.
The counteroffensive has broken through some elements of Russian defensive lines in the southeast, the US official said, and the reserve units have come in to capitalize on the opportunity.
A Russian military official admitted that Ukraine forces have been able “to wedge in” three sections of Russia’s first line of defense in the Zaporizhzhia front line on Wednesday.
“The second wave of the [Ukrainian] counteroffensive has begun” on the Zaporizhzhia front, said Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Russian-installed military-civilian administration in the region. Ukrainian troops had managed to break in “as a result of several waves of attack with more than 100 units of armored vehicles,” Rogov added, saying heavy fighting was ongoing along the southern front.
Ukraine’s military did not comment in detail on the situation in the area beyond saying its offensive operations along the southern front were “gradually advancing.”
Rogov went on to say Russian forces were using their full arsenal, including aviation strikes, to push back against the Ukrainian units carrying out the assault, which he claimed were Western-equipped and trained.
“The fighters of these brigades have been trained abroad, and the brigades themselves are equipped with Western military equipment, including Leopard tanks and Bradley [infantry fighting vehicles],” he wrote on Telegram.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that “hostilities have intensified and in a significant way” on the front lines, but contradicted his officials on the ground and claimed Ukraine’s push was being turned back.
“The enemy was not successful in any of the areas of clashes. All counteroffensive attempts were stopped, and the enemy was driven back with heavy losses,” the Russian leader said.
Ukraine’s 47th Brigade, which is involved in the offensive, confirmed to CNN it was pushing ahead, saying: “Infantry is advancing. Artillery covers. Bradley crews destroy enemy infantry and their equipment.”
There has been little independent evidence of the state of the front lines, but Russian military bloggers and official Ukrainian accounts suggest that Ukrainian forces have cut a path through at least one of the many minefields laid by the Russians and made modest territorial gains in the area of Robotyne, south of the town of Orikhiv.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky hinted at a potential new push in the counteroffensive last week, saying that Kyiv was “approaching a moment when relevant actions can gain pace because we are already going through some mine locations and we are demining these areas.”
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Ukraine’s western allies “can expect that [Ukraine] will continue to press.”
Austin didn’t comment on the status of the counteroffensive or specific battlefield details but said that Ukraine has been “preserving manpower and equipment,” even as their forces deliberately work their way through minefields and other obstacles.
“Ukraine is well prepared and well trained to be successful, and as you heard me say last week, they fought hard, they’ve been working their way to get through the minefields and other obstacles, but they still have a lot of combat power,” Austin said at a press conference in Papua New Guinea alongside the country’s prime minister.
The defensive line also poses a significant obstacle that the counteroffensive will need to find ways to overcome in the days, weeks, and months to come.
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