The ukrainian armed forces They announced this Friday the liberation of the town of Andriyivkaabout ten kilometers from the devastated city of Bakhmutan important position on the eastern front of the war.
“Defense forces (…) liberated Andriivka in the Donetsk region, inflicting significant losses on the enemy in terms of troops and equipment”said the Ukrainian General Staff.
Andriyivka It is about ten kilometers south of Bakhmutwith an estimated pre-war population of less than 100 people.
The Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense, Ganna Maliarhad announced on Telegram the capture of this town, but was quickly contradicted by an assault unit on the ground and finally rectified its publication.
“The statement about the capture of Andriivka is false and premature. Intense fighting is taking place in the Klichiivka and Andriivka areas“, stated on Telegram the third assault brigade, engaged on the ground.
“Such statements endanger the lives of personnel and harm the execution of combat missions,” he said.
Ongoing for more than a year, the battle of Bakhmut It is the longest and deadliest of the war. In May, Moscow claimed responsibility for the capture of this city, destroyed by fighting and bombing.
But Kyiv has deployed since June a counteroffensive to recover the lost areas in the east and south of the country in which Bakhmut also plays an important role.
The advances of the ukrainian troops They are slow, lagged behind by Russia’s powerful defensive lines, with trenches, minefields and anti-tank traps.
So far they have only been able to recover a handful of towns, but Ukrainian pressure has recently intensified, especially on the southern front with the seizure of Robotyne in direction to Tokmakan important logistics center for the Russians.
The counteroffensive advances
He Ministry of Defence Ukrainian this week claimed progress on the southern and eastern front, near Bakhmut.
Ukrainian forces “continue their offensive operations in the south” and advanced south of Robotyne (town retaken from the Russians at the end of August) and in the west of Verbovethe Deputy Minister of Defense declared on public television, Ganna Maliar.
It is in this area of the region of Zaporozhye that kyiv claims that it “broke the first line of defense” of Russia, opening a way for its offensive towards the cities of Tokmak and Melitopolimportant locations for the logistics of the Russian army.
In the Bakhmut region (east), “advances were also made” and the Ukrainian army advanced in the area of Klishchiivka, the vice minister specified.
“Last week, about 2 km2 of territory was liberated” near Bakhmut, and “in total, 49 km2 have been liberated” on the flanks of this city since the start of the Ukrainian counteroffensive in June, according to Maliar.
He ukrainian army He also “took a part of Opytne,” a town near the city of Avdivka, another hot spot on the front, he added.
The Ukrainian counteroffensive is encountering difficulties due to the powerful defense lines built by the Russians, with minefields, trenches and anti-tank traps, but Kiev hopes to advance in the south, in the Robotyne sector.
(With information from EFE and AFP)
Source-www.infobae.com