Ukrainian defenders in southern sectors simultaneously hold off three to four Russian armies – Voloshyn
Ukrainian defenders in the south are fighting against three, or even four, Russian armies.
The spokesperson for the Southern Defense Forces, Vladyslav Voloshyn, stated this during a live broadcast, in response to a question about what today is the main indicator of stability in the southern defense, Ukrinform reports.
"When people talk about successes in the south, I would like to note that today the Defense Forces of Ukraine in the south are fighting against three, or even four, Russian armies. The 5th, 29th, 35th, and 36th Russian armies are trying to break through toward Huliaipole and take control of some settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region," he said.
Voloshyn reported that a regrouping of the Russian forces aiming to capture Huliaipole is currently underway.
"Effectively, three sets of Russian military units have already been, as they say, worn down by the Ukrainian Defense Forces. The southern defenders are fighting heroically, and every centimeter, meter, and kilometer the enemy loses comes at a heavy cost in personnel, weapons, and military equipment," he noted.
According to his data, in the south, the enemy loses about 300–350 personnel and up to a hundred units of weapons and military equipment per day, "which is a fairly high price for every centimeter of our land."
Answering a question about how the open steppe terrain in the south affects Ukrainian defense, Voloshyn explained that the open terrain in southern Ukraine is present in two directions – Huliaipole and Orikhiv.
"Here, the enemy first tries to move personnel from assault groups to the frontlines and only then conducts assaults. In general, the Russian 5th Army operates here, and its main tactic is infiltration and small infantry group assaults," he said.
He clarified that the Russians conduct these assaults in waves, one following another.
"The main goal is to prevent us from bringing in reinforcements, to deny time to organize logistics. That's why the enemy first delivers massive strikes, destroys everything, and then assaults in waves," Voloshyn explained.
He noted that in the Oleksandrivka direction, the terrain is slightly different – there are several rivers.
"The enemy is operating there with the 29th and 36th armies. There, besides the small infantry group assault tactic, they sometimes use mechanized columns. Usually, these are mechanized platoons with several armored vehicles – tanks, combat armored vehicles, and transport vehicles – moving ahead to assault our positions and settlements," he explained.
Voloshyn noted that these armored columns try to break into Ukrainian settlements, and then, sacrificing equipment and weapons, the enemy infantry disperses.
"...After that, it's quite difficult to expel them from the settlement and conduct a clearing operation. This tactic is widely used in the Oleksandrivka direction, and the enemy does not want to abandon it, because according to our intelligence, they are bringing in more armored vehicles to continue such assaults," he said.
As Ukrinform previously reported, Voloshyn emphasized that despite reports of alleged Russian advances near Robotyne, there is no actual progress or offensive in the Orikhiv direction.