Ukraine says Russia is gathering tens of thousands of troops and is about to attack the Orekhov front in Zaporizhzhia province, where Kiev launched a failed counteroffensive campaign last year.
“The enemy has the ability to launch a new counterattack in the direction of Orekhov in Zaporizhzhia province. The force gathered here has the same number of troops as the units participating in the war on the Avdeevka front," Dmytro Lykhoviy, spokesman for the Tavria strategic and operational group in charge of the southern front of the Ukrainian army, said today. February 15.
Ukrainian officials did not give specific numbers, but the country's officials said in January that Russia had concentrated about 1 troops near Avdeevka to break through the defense lines in the city.
The Russian artillery battery participated in the battle on the Zaporizhzhia front at the end of 2023. Photo: RIA Novosti
Mr. Lykhoviy said that the situation in the Orekhov direction remains relatively calm, but Russian shelling shows no signs of stopping. “The enemy is mobilizing reserve forces and getting ready for a new offensive campaign. We are detecting many signs and are ready to respond," the Ukrainian official added.
The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on the information.
Orekhov city is the gathering place for Ukraine's main counter-attack force in Zaporizhizhia province, about 9 km north of the strategic village of Rabotino, which Kiev regained in early September 2023.
Location of Orekhov city, Rabotino village and Russian lines in Zaporizhzhia province. Graphics: WSJ
The Ukrainian army has not made any further progress in the area for many months, while Russian forces have begun to counterattack in the direction of Rabotino. The US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that Moscow has regained control of many points that Kiev had won in the counterattack, after Ukrainian soldiers withdrew to more defensible positions near the village of Rabotino. .
Vu Anh (Follow New Voices of Ukraine, Reuters)
