Ukraine’s troops decide off Putin’s troopers one-by-one in brutal close-quarters fight footage as Kyiv’s counter-offensive makes extra features into Russia’s Zaporizhzhia defences

Ukraine’s forces have pushed deeper into Russian defensive strains within the nation’s south, Kyiv stated at this time, as footage emerged of intense close-quarters fight between the nation’s armed forces and the invading squaddies.

Kyiv launched a grinding counteroffensive in June after stockpiling Western-supplied weapons and increase assault battalions. In contrast to two fast assaults final summer time, Ukraine’s armies have made gradual progress via dense defences and minefields.

Nonetheless, features have been made, and on Monday Kyiv confirmed the Armed Forces of Ukraine had liberated the village of Robotyne on the southern front – the most recent in a collection of villages liberated as Ukraine pushes in the direction of the Sea of Azov.

As Ukraine has stepped up its assault, Russia has stepped up its shelling. On Tuesday, Kyiv ordered the evacuation of youngsters from 5 cities within the area.

Talking on Ukrainian tv, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk stated that the evacuation of youngsters from the Vasylivskyi and Pologivskyi districts is now obligatory. Round 50 kids are nonetheless although to be residing within the districts.

This got here as footage was launched displaying brutal, close-quarters combating between Ukrainian and Russian troopers, bringing house the truth of a struggle that’s nearing its nineteenth month and displaying no signal of abating.

Ukraine’s forces have pushed deeper into Russian defensive strains within the nation’s south, Kyiv stated at this time, as footage emerged of intense close-quarters fight between the nation’s armed forces and the invading squaddies (pictured)

Pictured: A pair of Ukrainian troopers are seen hunkered down in a foxhole whereas choosing off advancing Russian troops

Robotyne is six miles south of the frontline city of Orikhiv within the Zaporizhzhia area on an necessary highway in the direction of Tokmak, a Russian-occupied highway and rail hub 

The footage reveals fierce and intense shut fight utilizing machine weapons and bombs between the Russian and Ukrainian navy on a woodland battlefield.

A pair of Ukrainian troops are seen hunkered down in a small bunker, holding off towards an tried Russian advance and larger numbers. The corpses of two Russian troopers are seen on the bottom when the video begins.

The clip, recorded each by a drone and by a helmet digicam on one of many Ukrainian troopers, reveals two Russian troopers try and rush the Ukrainians.

Nevertheless, it seems they misjudged the place of the AFU troopers and are rapidly picked off by an computerized rifle wielded by the fighter with the digicam. 

As one other Russian soldier raises his head above the bunker he’s hiding in, he too is gunned down. From the identical bunker, one other Russian soldier is seen frantically crawling away right into a second foxhole the place a comrade is taking cowl.

Regardless of conserving their heads down, they don’t seem to be protected. One of many two Ukrainian troopers throw a grenade straight into the bunker, which isn’t seen by both of the sheltering Russians. The video ends with the grenade detonating simply toes away.

In whole it seems the 2 Ukrainian troopers have been in a position to take down 5 Russian troopers within the video alone. The entire variety of casualties was not clear.

The pictures have been obtained from the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade on Monday, August 28. Posting the video on-line, the brigade stated: ‘Fashionable warfare is sometimes called artillery warfare or drone warfare, however it’s the infantry who bear the brunt of fight and the principle danger. 

‘It’s the infantry who see the enemy closest and interact involved fight. And it’s the infantryman’s foot that’s the first to step on the liberated land.’

The AFU stated final week that its troops had raised the nationwide flag within the strategic settlement, however have been nonetheless finishing up mopping-up operations.

This got here amid reviews that Vladimir Putin’s generals had redirected components of their most elite combating unit to the southern entrance to gradual the AFU’s advance.

Navy spokesman Andriy Kovalyov stated Ukrainian forces have been edging additional within the Zaporizhzhia area, which Moscow claims is a part of Russia.

‘Ukrainian forces had successes within the course of Novodanylivka to Verbove,’ he informed state media on Tuesday, naming two hamlets within the war-battered area. He added that the troops have been holding captured territory and attacking Russian artillery.

Ukraine’s forces have pushed deeper into Russian defensive strains within the nation’s south, Kyiv stated at this time, because it presses on with its counteroffensive. Pictured: Ukrainian troopers of the Separate Assault Battalion ‘Skala’ enter the embattled village of Robotyne, August 25

A Ukrainian serviceman walks close to a destroyed Ukrainian tank, as Russia’s assault on Ukraine continues, close to the village of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia area, Ukraine August 25, 2023

Robotyne is six miles south of the frontline city of Orikhiv within the Zaporizhzhia area on an necessary highway in the direction of Tokmak, a Russian-occupied highway and rail hub.

In a each day replace on the scenario in Ukraine, the US-based Institute for the Examine of Conflict concurred with Kyiv’s declare that its forces have been advancing additional south.

‘Warmth anomalies from NASA FIRMS/VIIRS sensors and Russian claims of Ukrainian advances possible point out that Ukrainian forces superior close to Verbove (one other village to the east of Robotyne),’ the ISW wrote on Monday.

In comparison with Ukrainian offensives final yr within the Kherson and Kharkiv areas, this time Kyiv’s forces are crashing into Russian defensive strains of trenches and minefields which are kilometres deep.

However analysts say the seize of Robotyne is proof that Ukrainian forces can puncture Russian strains as they push south.

Tokmak’s seize could be a milestone as Ukrainian troops press southwards in the direction of the Sea of Azov in a navy drive that’s meant to separate Russian forces following Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Kyiv’s generals need to attain town of Melitopol, round 40 miles southwest of Robotyne, as a way to lower Russia’s ‘land bridge’ in two.

The ‘bridge’ is a swathe of Ukrainian territory presently occupied by Moscow’s forces that connects Russia to Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsular that was annexed by Vladimir Putin in 2014 – offering an important provide route.

By driving a wedge via the land bridge, Ukraine needs to chop Moscow’s forces off from one another and from their provides and to power a retreat from the Russian held Kherson Oblast – a area that’s largely south of the Dnipro river, town of Kherson and north of Crimea.

Plumes of smoke erupt as Ukrainian unit breach mine defences as a part of a southern counteroffensive, close to Hulyaipole, in Zaporizhzhia area, Ukraine, on this display seize obtained from a handout video launched on August 27, 2023

Ukrainian servicemen experience a tank, as Russia’s assault on Ukraine continues, close to the village of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia area, Ukraine August 25, 2023

In line with Dr Mike Martin – a former British Military officer, senior visiting analysis fellow at King’s Faculty London and potential Liberal Democrat MP, Ukraine should goal Tokmak, a key freeway that runs from Russia to Melitopol, and three bridges or roads that result in the Crimean peninsular from Ukraine and Russia.

Writing on X (previously Twitter), Dr Martin stated that this doesn’t imply that Ukraine has to really seize these strategic factors, however simply has to get inside hanging distance in order that Kyiv’s armed forces can disrupt and harm them with artillery.

‘If [Ukraine] can get to about 10 miles previous Tokmak then they will simply attain the M14 freeway with artillery because it enters Melitopol,’ Dr Martin wrote. ‘So this Robotyne assault looks like the correct thought.’

If Kyiv’s forces are in a position to get inside vary of the M14 freeway and disrupt Russia’s provide route then, Dr Martin wrote: ‘the Russian withdrawal from [southern Kherson Oblast] is a forgone conclusion.’

In the meantime, Ukrainian troops have additionally been attempting to encompass the jap city of Bakhmut, which was captured by Russian forces in Could in a brutal months-long battle that was likened to a First World Conflict ‘meat grinder’.

The top of the Donetsk area, the place Bakhmut is positioned, on Tuesday performed down the Ukrainian push, after Kyiv claimed successes.

‘The flanks are being held. The scenario there’s already stabilising,’ Denis Pushilin informed Russian state media.

In response to Ukrainian advances, reviews have stated Moscow has deployed its 76th Guard Air Assault Division (GAAD) – generally described as Russia’s finest combating unit – to the area, with components being noticed close to Robotyne final week.  

In response to Ukrainian advances, reviews have stated Moscow has deployed its 76th Guard Air Assault Division (GAAD) – generally described as Russia’s finest combating unit (pictured throughout a parade in 2020) – to the area, with components being noticed close to Robotyne final week

The ISW stated on Saturday it had seen proof of ‘lateral redeployments of components of the seventh Guards Mountain VDV Division from Kherson Oblast to the frontline in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and components of the 76th VDV Division from the Kreminna space to the Robotyne space’.

It repeated the report about elite models being redeployed on Sunday, including: ‘Russian forces dedicated a substantial quantity of materiel, effort, and manpower to carry the collection of defensive positions that Ukrainian forces are presently penetrating’.

It added: ‘It’s unclear if Russian forces will retain the benefits they’ve held if they can’t commit the identical degree of sources and personnel to those subsequent layers of defence. The subsequent Russian defensive layer will, nonetheless, very possible pose important challenges for the Ukrainian advance.’

And on Monday, the ISW wrote: ‘The Russian navy command continues to expend comparatively elite Russian airborne forces by deploying these troops to defend susceptible positions towards Ukrainian counteroffensives.’

Photos circulating on Ukrainian social media appeared to indicate tow Russian unit patches from the 234th and 104th Guards Airborne Assault regiments – each a part of the 76th GAAD. The patches have been reportedly taken as trophies.

Russia’s 234th regiment it believed to have been concerned within the Bucha bloodbath, a mass killing of Ukrainian civilians by Russian troopers in March 2022.

In depth reporting by the Related Press and different information shops uncovered how the regiment carried out a ‘cleansing’ operation within the Kyiv suburb, arresting, torturing and murdering Ukrainian residents. 

Components of the 76th GAAD had been combating in Kremmina within the Luhansk area – round 150 miles to the north-east of Robotyne.

Their sighting across the southern village suggests some have been moved.

Russian paratroopers march and sing through the navy parade on the 76th Guards Air Assault Division in Pskov, Russia, March 1, 2020

Information of Ukraine’s continued push south got here as three folks have been killed in an in a single day Russian missile strike within the centre of the nation, and two died in shelling afterward Monday within the east and south, Ukrainian officers stated.

Inside Minister Ihor Klymenko stated the three folks have been killed at an industrial plant in central Poltava area. 

5 have been wounded and one other particular person was unaccounted for, he stated.

Presidential chief of workers Andriy Yermak stated these killed have been evening shift employees at a vegetable oil manufacturing facility within the Myrhorod district and posted photographs displaying the plant in flames. Klymenko stated the fireplace had later been extinguished.

Oleksandr Prokudin, governor of southern Kherson area, stated a 63-year-old girl had been killed within the mid-morning shelling of the village of Sadove.

Russian shelling killed a person working exterior his house within the early night in Toretsk, in jap Donetsk area, prosecutors stated.

The Ukrainian navy stated Russia had launched 4 missiles from the Black Sea in a single day. Two have been shot down.

Pictured: Ukrainian legislation enforcement officers stand subsequent to the burning industrial facility following a missile strike within the village of Hoholeve, Poltava area, August 28

Different reviews from Ukrainian officers described heavy Russian shelling of Marhanets, reverse the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear energy plant, with 4 folks injured.

Regional officers reported three injured within the shelling of 9 localities in northern Sumy area.

Ukraine’s navy additionally stated central Kryvyi Rih area in had been struck in a missile assault. Native authorities stated personal homes have been broken, however reported no casualties.

The reviews couldn’t be independently confirmed. Russia, which despatched tens of hundreds of troops into Ukraine 18 months in the past, didn’t instantly remark when contacted by Reuters information company.