Main strike of Ukraine’s counteroffensive to be landed in Zaporizhzhia front

The Ukrainian military command has informed Washington of a new phase of the Defence Forces’ counter-offensive — New York Times with reference to US anonymous officials

 The New York Times noted that Ukrainian officials had told US officials that reinforced Ukrainian groups would attempt to advance south through Russian minefields and other fortifications to the city of Tokmak, and, if successful, to Melitopol.

Their goal is to break the so-called land bridge between the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories and the Crimean peninsula, or at least advance far enough to put the strategically important peninsula within range of Ukrainian artillery.

The New York Times pointed out that Russia seized Crimea in 2014 and now uses it as a base for its Black Sea Fleet and to supply its forces in Ukraine’s south.

The new Defence Forces operation, if successful, could take one to three weeks, Ukrainian officials told Washington.

However, little has gone according to plan since the counteroffensive began in early June, and officials at the White House and Pentagon said on Wednesday that they were watching the increased activity with great interest.