Kyiv’s troops have reached the outskirts of the town of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region.
Ukrainian forces are making advances in their counteroffensive even if territorial gains are limited, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has said.
Ukraine launched its counteroffensive around June 4 with the aim of retaking Russian-occupied territory but there are concerns over slow progress, due in part to the heavy fortifications that Russian forces have built up along the front line.
But in its Friday update, the U.S. think tank struck a more optimistic note, saying Ukrainian forces had made «tactically significant advances» in the west of the Zaporizhzhia oblast as counteroffensive operations continued on at least three sectors of the front.
It cites geolocated footage which showed how Kyiv’s troops had reached the outskirts of the town of Robotyne, although «the permanence and extent of these positions are currently unclear.»
While Russian milbloggers reported heavy fighting around Robotyne for weeks, involving Russia’s 7th Guards Airborne (VDV) Division and Chechen fighters, the think tank said Kyiv’s ability to advance to the town’s outskirts «remains significant even if Ukrainian gains are limited at this time.
