Ukraine reports success, Russian minister criticizes Kyiv for failure

In June, the Ukrainian government launched a counter-offensive to retake territory seized by Russia, but the offensive has since struggled to break through Russia’s fortified defenses. Ukraine has also faced criticism from the West for focusing its offensive forces in the wrong places.

However, with the Russian military facing stretched resources and internal dissension, both sides have recently achieved only minor success through retaking villages and small-sized territories.

Kyiv has retaken several villages in its advance towards the Sea of Azov, and claims to be gaining ground on the eastern city of Bakhmut, after it was captured by Russia in May.

“We are advancing in the Bakhmut area and our defenders are advancing meter by meter, especially in Klishchivka,” Ilya Yevlash, a spokesman for the Ukrainian military in the east, said on state television.

Klishchivka is a village in the mountainous area south of Bakhmut, considered a strategic village in the effort to retake the city.

Ukrainian soldiers survived a fierce attack in Lyman, a town they recaptured in 2022, Mr. Yevlash said.

Russian forces “suffered a painful blow” at Novoyehorivka that halted their advance, he added.

In an evening report, the Ukrainian General Staff said its forces were moving towards Melitopol in the south with the aim of cutting off the road bridge that Russian troops had established between Crimea and the occupied eastern region.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu affirmed that Ukraine's offensive ended in failure, but also acknowledged that fighting had not been easy in some areas of southeastern Zaporizhzhia controlled by Moscow.

Quoting Shoigu, the Defense Ministry wrote: “The Ukrainian Armed Forces have not achieved their goals on any front. The situation is most tense on the battlefield in Zaporizhzhia, where the enemy has deployed several brigades from the strategic reserve, with soldiers trained by the West.”

Ukrainian analysts say the campaign to retake a string of villages is yielding results, but the fight still depends on continuing the advance over the next two months before winter sets in.

Military analyst Serhiy Zgurets said in an article on the Espreso TV website that the Ukrainian army has deployed a new front line in the south with a strategy he called “spread thin, attrit and attack”.

Ukrainian officials said this week that their forces had overcome Russia's first line of defense but had encountered defenses behind them in areas where Moscow had had time to build fortifications and lay minefields.

“The enemy is taking full advantage of this ‘dry season’ to consolidate their positions, redeploy and move around,” Natalia Humeniuk, a spokeswoman for the southern forces, said on state television. “They may have realized the scale of the firepower we can direct at their vital supply lines.”

Nguyen Quang Minh (according to Reuters)

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