The Moscow-appointed leader of Zaporizhzhia said Russian forces had made a "tactical retreat" from Rabotino, after Ukraine claimed to have retaken the strategic village.
"The Russian army has withdrawn, tactically withdrawn from Rabotino because the village is located in an open area, there is no way to defend. The Russian army has retreated to higher hills," said Russian news agency RBC . quoted Yevgeny Balitsky, the Moscow-appointed leader of Zaporizhzhia, on September 6.
The announcement of the withdrawal came after the Ukrainian army announced in late August that it had taken control of Rabotino, a strategic village that occupies a key position on Russia's first line of defense in Zaporizhzhia.
Ukrainian soldiers fire at Russian military positions in the Zaporizhzhia region on August 19. Photo: Reuters
The village of Rabotino blocks the T0408 route leading directly to Tokmak, where Ukrainian forces could make a deep push to the city of Melitopol in southern Zaporizhzhia.
This is the first time Russia has admitted to losing Rabotino. In an update on the operation on September 5, the Russian Defense Ministry still said that its forces had repelled two attacks by Kiev near Rabotino.
Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in June, after months of attacks deep inside Russian-controlled territory. However, the counteroffensive has been slow because the Russian army has prepared a complex network of defenses and deployed skilled forces to counter it.
Capturing Rabotino would open up an important route for the Ukrainian army to push further south, aiming to cut off Russia's land corridor connecting the Crimean peninsula with the Donbass region.
Location of Rabotino village and direction of Ukrainian advance. Graphics: RYV
Nhu Tam (According to Reuters, Moscow Times )
Source link
Comment (0)