Ukraine breaks through main Russian defense lines as counter-offensive accelerates

Ukrainian forces have broken through important Russian defense lines in the southeastern region, where a sluggish counteroffensive has struggled for months to make quick gains but could see a major breakthrough soon.

Ukraine is moving deeper into the Zaporizhzhia region after securing a major foothold beyond Russian lines, advancing on cities that could anchor troops further to the southeast: Verbove and Novoprokopivka.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. reported on wednesday that the troops have achieved a march towards both cities, strengthening their position and firing waves of artillery against the Russian lines.

Ukraine may also have broken through the first line of defense of what is known as the Surovikin line, named after the infamous Russian general Sergei Surovikin, who ordered the construction of thick defenses, such as anti-tank obstacles and minefields, before the Kiev counteroffensive operation. .

George Barros, a Russia analyst at the Institute for the Study of War, shared geolocated images of Ukrainian forces outside Verbove, but cautioned that this did not mean the military had breached the Surovikin defense line.

“The available evidence does not mean that this is a ‘confirmed violation’ of the Surovikin line,” wrote in X, formerly known as Twitter. “It is very possible that the Ukrainian forces have violated it, but we need more evidence.”

Popular Russian military blogger Rybar confirmed that Ukraine is advancing towards Verbove, writing that forces were carrying out “mass shelling raids on Russian troop forward positions” in the city and “advancing again on the offensive.”

“The Ukrainian command intends to concentrate its efforts on encircling Verbove from the west and getting to the flank of the Russian troops in order to block the supply routes in the village,” said on Telegram.

Another popular Russian military blogger who posts under the name telegram channel he said on Verbove that there has been no breakthrough and that Ukraine is “suffering heavy losses in men and equipment.”

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar wrote that troops a little south of Verbove were advancing in the direction of Novoprokopivka.

Since last week’s capture of Robotyne, a key village in the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine is moving faster after more than two months of breaking through Russian defenses at an unexpectedly slow pace.

The main objectives are to take the city of Tokmak and, further south, the city of Melitopol. The goal is to cut the land bridge connecting mainland Russia with the Crimean peninsula.

If Ukraine can liberate both Novopropivka and Verbove, then it could encircle the city of Tokmak.

Although Ukraine still faces a series of Russian fortifications and defenses, the past two weeks of faster progress is raising hopes in the West of a real breakthrough.

Ukrainian troops are also advancing in other directions for the counteroffensive, around Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, in the southern Kherson region and north of Robotyne towards the city of Staromlynivka.

Russia is advancing its own counteroffensive towards the northeastern cities of Kupyansk and Lyman, but its forces have faced stiff resistance from Ukraine. If the pressure from kyiv in the south continues, it may have to redirect troops to provide reinforcements.