Ukraine thwarts Russian attempts to gain ‘operational space’ in Maryinka and Avdiyivka
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Russian forces are trying to seize Maryinka and Avdiyivka in Donetsk Oblast in order to gain what they consider "some operational space," Tavria’s Defense Forces spokesman Oleksandr Shtupun said on national television on Oct. 5, adding that “significant losses are the only thing the invaders have achieved so far.”
"The invaders are trying with all their might to take Maryinka to show some success and are trying to surround Avdiyivka,” said Shtupun. “They are failing, but they will try to gain what they think is some operational space. It will be, as they think, some improvement for them. Our military is standing firm and defending both Avdiyivka and the neighboring settlements."
Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of the Tavria operational group in the southern part of the country, confirmed on Sept. 2 that Ukrainian forces had breached the first Russian defense line in Zaporizhzhya Oblast.
A major breakthrough in the counter-offensive would begin if Ukrainian forces were to liberate Tokmak in Zaporizhzhya Oblast, Tarnavskyi said.
On Sept. 18, the Ministry of Defense reported that since the start of the counter-offensive, Ukrainian forces have liberated 260 square kilometers of territory in southern Ukraine and 51 square kilometers in the area of Bakhmut.
In August, some Western media reported that the progress of Ukrainian forces was "behind schedule.” Western partners, commenting on the challenges of the counter-offensive, noted that the Russian occupiers had managed to build multi-layered defensive structures, including minefields, on the captured territories.
However, the initiative in the war is currently on Ukraine's side, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said: Russia is gradually being pushed out of the occupied territories – albeit at a slow pace.
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