Ukraine offensive to speed up as forces break through Russia’s strongest line of defence
Ukraine’s forces believe they have broken through Russia’s strongest line of defence and will now be able to advance more quickly, a commander fighting in the south has said.
Kyiv’s troops are poised to capture the village of Robotyne in the southern sector of the frontline, a victory that commanders say could unlock Russia’s formidable defences.
Elsewhere on Ukraine’s battlefields, two Ukrainian jets collided during a training flight, killing three pilots, including an ace who had ambitions to fly F-16s.
Ukraine has been pushing for a significant breakthrough against well dug-in Russian defences since launching its counteroffensive in June.
Western-trained brigades, including the one equipped with British Challenger 2 tanks, have joined the assault in hopes of making a breakthrough.
“We don’t stop here,” said an infantry commander called Skala.”We have passed the main roads that were mined. We are coming to those lines where we can go (forward). I’m sure we’ll go faster from here.”
Video from the battle for Robotyne showed fierce gunfights in heavy, thick foliage.
Artillery
A later shot from a drone showed a column of Ukrainian soldiers walking into a village.
All the buildings have been destroyed, artillery rounds have pockmarked the ground and the trees have been stripped of leaves and branches.
Robotyne is considered an important objective because it lies on the road to Tokmak, which defends the road south towards Melitopol, the biggest city in the area and an administrative centre for occupying Russian forces.
It also lies 70 miles east of Berdyansk, a port town on the Sea of Azov that Russia has used extensively to load stolen grain for export.
Russian military bloggers confirmed heavy fighting around Robotyne, which is eight miles from the counteroffensive startline, and conceded that Ukrainian forces had captured part of the village.
“Heavy fighting continues on the southern outskirts of Robotyne,” Rybar told its 1.2 million subscribers. “Despite constant attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Russian units maintain partial control over the village.”
Offensive
Ukraine’s Western allies have grumbled at what they regard as the slow pace of the Ukrainian offensive despite all the kit they have handed over.
In July, a leaked German intelligence report blamed Ukraine for forgoing Nato infantry training and instead falling back on Cold War-era Soviet-style tactics. Ukrainian forces have countered and said that this is unfair and that large minefields and Russian air superiority have made the going tough.
Earlier Ukraine’s military reported that two Aero L-39 Albatros combat training aircraft collided above the Zhytomyr region, west of Kyiv.
“An investigation has been launched. Among the dead is the well-known pilot of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade who used the callsign Juice,” the Ukrainian Air Force said, referring to the pilot Andrei Pilshchikov.
Pilshchikov was sometimes called “the Ghost of Kyiv”, a reference to a mythical Ukrainian ace pilot who was said to have shot down dozens of Russian warplanes in the first few weeks of the war.
Heroics
Officials have said the myth was based around the heroics of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade, Pilshchikov’s unit.
According to messages left on social media, Pilshchikov wanted to learn to fly F-16 fighter jets, which have now been promised by Ukraine’s Nato allies.
“You dreamed of F-16s and waited for news of their transfer. You loved your bird and literally lived in the sky,” read one tribute.
Outgunned, outnumbered and outdated, Ukraine’s Air Force has become a symbol of Ukraine’s dogged determination to resist the Russian invasion.
After 18 months of lobbying, Ukrainian pilots have started training on F-16 fighter jets and should be flying them over Ukrainian battlefields by the start of next year.
Pilshchikov was considered one of the Ukrainian Air Force’s most experienced pilots and had lobbied hard in the media and online for Ukraine to be given F-16s. He usually flew Soviet-era MiG-29s and had flown dozens of combat missions during the defence of Kyiv in February and March last year.
After his death was announced, Melaniya Polodyak, a Ukrainian activist, posted a photo on Twitter of herself lying on grass, smiling and embracing Pilshchikov.
“Thank you for giving me another hug yesterday before your departure,” she wrote. “I will do everything as promised.”
