Update on the Russia-Ukraine conflict: VSU seeks to prevent Moscow from concentrating its forces, Russia closes the encirclement on the strategic front, the US is not optimistic about Kiev's counter-offensive...
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| Russia-Ukraine conflict, VSU seeks to prevent Moscow's military from concentrating its forces. In the photo: A Ukrainian soldier checks the coordinates of a missile strike in Donetsk. (Source: New York Times) |
War correspondents of the telegram channel Wargonzo reported on August 18 that in the Zaporizhzhia direction, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU) intensified artillery fire and recaptured the northern part of the village of Rabotino. From the east, the VSU continued to attack along the H-08 road south of Novopokrovka. This allowed the VSU to advance.
The main objective of the offensive was to expand the front of attack towards the strategic town of Tokmok, while strengthening the flanks to prevent potential breakthroughs by the Russian army. In addition, the VSU was also actively conducting reconnaissance operations on the outskirts of Dorozhnyanka, a strategically important position for advancing on the city of Pologi.
Analysts believe that by doing this, the VSU is trying to pin down the Russian army on an expanded area of the front to prevent Moscow from concentrating its forces.
* Meanwhile, Russia is concentrating its artillery fire, closing the siege on the strategic front. Two strategic villages in Donetsk are under pressure from Russian artillery and air force fire as Ukraine concentrates its counterattacks on all fronts.
Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-appointed official in Moscow-controlled areas of Zaporizhzhia province, said on August 18 that the villages of Staromayorskoye and Urozhainoye, key areas in the Ukrainian army's counteroffensive south of Donetsk, were now under fire control of Russian forces.
"Urozhainoye and Staromayorskoye are under our fire control. Russian artillery and aviation are operating there," Rogov said.
Mr Rogov also rejected Ukraine's claim of taking control of the village of Urozhainoye, saying the Ukrainian army was suffering heavy losses.
According to Mr. Rogov, Ukrainian forces have lost several hundred soldiers in the Zaporizhzhia region in the past 24 hours.
* US media quoted sources in the US government as saying that Washington does not seem optimistic that Ukraine's counter-offensive campaign can achieve the main goal set by Kiev .
The Washington Post quoted a well-informed source as saying that the US intelligence community believes that Ukraine's counterattack will have difficulty reaching the strategic city of Melitopol in the southeast.
This means that the US side does not seem optimistic about the scenario in which Ukraine will complete the main goal of the counteroffensive, which is to capture Melitopol.
Melitopol is crucial to Ukraine's counteroffensive as it is considered the gateway to Crimea.
The city lies at the intersection of two important highways and a railway that allows Russia to move military personnel and equipment from the peninsula to territories Moscow controls on the southern front.
Previously, experts said that Ukraine would consider Melitopol, a city that Russia has controlled for more than a year, as the top target of the counterattack.
If it captures Melitopol, Ukraine could cut off Russia's land corridor to the Crimean peninsula, and Kiev could open its route to the Sea of Azov.
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