Russian troops have captured the settlement of Obshcheye in Zaporizhzhia to break Ukrainian defensive lines, retired officer Andrey Marochko has said.
Marochko, a retired lieutenant colonel in the People's Militia of the Luhansk People's Republic, told Russian state news agency TASS that the seizure of the village marked a critical breakthrough against Kyiv's forces.
He stated that the capture of Obshcheye, which is located southeast of Volnyanka, demonstrated that Russian service members were breaking the backbone of the adversary and breaching its defensive positions.
Heavy fighting continues in the area of Volnyanka, according to Marochko. He added that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had concentrated their main forces on that particular sector of the frontline.
Heavy fighting in Zaporizhzhia
Zaporizhzhia is a heavily contested province in southeastern Ukraine that borders the Dnipro River and contains several major industrial centres. The region has formed a core part of the southern frontline since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with both armies constructing extensive fortifications, minefields and trench networks across the territory.
Marochko is a former military spokesman who regularly delivers operational commentary for Russian state media on developments across the theatre of operations. His former unit, the Luhansk People's Republic People's Militia, originated as a pro-Russian separatist armed force in eastern Ukraine following the outbreak of fighting in the Donbas in 2014.
Russian offensive in Sumy
The reported breakthrough in Zaporizhzhia coincides with reports of an active Russian offensive taking place further north in the Sumy region. Russian troops have advanced in both the Shostka and Sumy districts, according to earlier reports cited by Russian media.
Sumy is an administrative region situated along Ukraine's northeastern frontier, sharing a long land border with the Russian Federation. The area has experienced repeated artillery strikes and cross-border ground incursions since Ukrainian troops pushed Russian forces back across the international boundary during the opening months of the war.
