Russia pushes to seize launchpad for shelling Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia
Photo: Russians attempting to break through to Stepnohirsk (Getty Images)
Russian troops are trying to break through to Stepnohirsk in the Zaporizhzhia region. This village is located on a springboard that is advantageous for the Russian troops, which opens fire on Zaporizhzhia, says Vladyslav Voloshyn, spokesperson for the Southern Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"It should be noted that the Oleksandrivka direction is also quite active at the moment, where Russians have also carried out nearly a dozen combat engagements. Here, they attempted to break through our defenses near several settlements, but they were unsuccessful," Voloshyn states.
According to him, the Ukrainian Defense Forces are blocking Russia's advance, destroying them there.
In addition, the Orikhiv direction is quite active - the westernmost direction, where there are several points of combat. There, Russia is also trying to break through Ukrainian defenses and advance deeper into Ukrainian territory.
"In particular, this is the area near the settlement of Stepnohirsk. There, Russia is storming our positions near Plavni and Primorske and wants to get closer to Stepnohirsk, infiltrate there, and push the Ukrainian Defense Forces out of this settlement," the spokesperson adds.
He notes that this village is located on an advantageous bridgehead - it is the dominant height in this area, and if it is captured, certain types of weapons are deployed there.
They can be used to keep the eastern, southeastern, and southern outskirts of Zaporizhzhia under fire control and strike them, as well as keep the logistics routes leading from Zaporizhzhia to the east — to Huliaipole and Orikhiv — under fire.
Fighting in Zaporizhzhia region
Some of the fiercest battles on the front line are currently taking place in the Huliaipole area of the Zaporizhzhia region
According to the Ukrainian military, the Russians are entering from the northwestern and southwestern parts of the city. Ukrainian forces are working in all parts of the city, trying to cut off Russian logistics and prevent the Russian army from bringing in reinforcement groups. Russia is losing up to 300 troops every day.
Fighting continues in Huliaipole, although the city has effectively become a large gray zone. At the same time, Russia has become more active in two other areas of the Zaporizhzhia region and will try to advance toward the Orikhiv district from the northeast.
In addition, the Ukrainian Defense Forces previously reported that Russian troops in the Huliaipole direction had received a large number of thermobaric hand grenades, which they will use for explosive drops from drones.
