The slow pace of the Ukrainian offensive gives Russia time to lay new minefields

The lack of substantial Ukrainian advances on the Zaporizhzhia province, in southeastern Ukraine, is giving the Russians time to sow new minefields in the area of ​​the city of Tokmak, the Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies warned today in its daily bulletin.

“The delay in the advance of the forces of the Tavria Strategic Operational Group in the direction of Tokmak gives the adversary an opportunity to establish new minefields inside its defensive positions,” reads the report of this “think tank.”

According to the bulletin, the Russian attacks against the flanks of the Ukrainian forces fighting in that area of ​​the Zaporizhia province front They force kyiv to deploy more artillery to resist these attacks.

Ukraine continues the offensive towards the city of Tokmak and Melitopolbut has not managed to liberate any other town since announcing the capture of the town of Robotine at the end of August.

According to this Thursday’s report from the kyiv General Staff, In the last 24 hours, Ukrainian forces repelled Russian attacks around Novodarivka, Verbove and Robotine itself, all located in the hot zone of the Zaporizhia front.

Despite the lack of substantial progress, The General Staff explains that Ukrainian troops continue on the offensive and inflict heavy human and material losses on the enemy on a daily basis.

In the last few hours, the Ukrainian Air Force has reported the downing of 24 of the 29 Shahed kamikaze drones launched by Russia over the regions of Odessa, Mikoláyiv (south) and Kirovograd (center). During the night “the occupiers attacked Ukraine with Shahed-type offensive drones from the southern direction,” reads the Air Force report, which explains that the launches were carried out from the territory of the Crimean peninsula, occupied by Russia since 2014. .

According to Sergei Bratchuk, of the Military Administration of the Odessa region, five of the Shaheds were intercepted over that Ukrainian region, which has been a priority target of Russia since July, when Moscow’s forces began to hit Ukrainian port and agricultural infrastructure.

Bratchuk added that another 9 drones were shot down over Kirovohrad, where one of the devices that could not be intercepted hit an “infrastructure object” causing a fire. The authorities have not yet communicated the balance of damages