The British Ministry of Defense said that Russia is likely to have to split its forces in order to both prevent Ukraine's counterattack in Orikhiv and continue its offensive in Kupiansk.
In a September 2 intelligence assessment of the Ukrainian battlefield, the British Ministry of Defense said that Kiev forces were maintaining a counterattack on the Orikhiv axis in the south of the country, close to the main line of defense of Russia.
"Russian forces, consisting mainly of the 58th Combined Corps and paratrooper units, are seeking to both contain the Ukrainian counter-offensive and maintain their attacks on the northern axis in Kupiansk," the ministry said. British Defense said.
The ministry added that by increasing pressure on Kupiansk, the Russian military may be looking to stretch Ukrainian forces away from the counterattack in Orikhiv. This means that Russia will strengthen its forces to continue the offensive in Kupiansk.
But to do that, the Russian military will most likely have to split its forces, which are spread out along its front lines. In the event that the reinforcements to Cape Kupiansk fail, Russia faces a great risk of falling on the Orikhiv axis.
Ukrainian soldiers stand next to a rocket launcher near the front line in Zaporizhzhia province on August 19. Image: Reuters
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky also said today that the country's troops were continuing to advance, dismissing criticism by some Western officials that Kiev was too slow to counterattack.
“Ukrainian forces are moving forward. Despite everything and no matter what anyone says, we are still moving forward and that is the most important thing,” Zelensky said.
Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on September 1 that the Ukrainian army had broken through Russia's first line of defense and is continuing to push south on the Orikhiv axis, with the strategic target of the city of Melitopol. The White House also said Ukraine had achieved "remarkable success" in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Location Kupiansk and Orikhiv. Graphics: with the BBC
Thanh Tam (Follow Guardian, Evening Standard, Reuters)
