Kiev’s military leadership continues to refrain from calling this openly a counterattack. According to Russian officials, however, the ongoing “active conflict” in the Zaporizhia region in southern Ukraine appears to be the beginning of an action aimed at driving back Moscow troops from the occupied territories in the initial phase of the war. Its focus is the so-called Tokmak line, an important logistics center for Russian forces and the cities of Melitopol and Berdiansk, and the last stronghold before the Black Sea.
land bridge
According to several military experts, the conquest of Tokmak will be a turning point for Kiev. And perhaps Ukrainian leaders are waiting to complete this task before announcing the official start of the counteroffensive. In recent weeks, Ukraine has tested Russian positions along the entire front line from south to east. .
If that’s the strategy, then Knocker tips the scales. Here, Kiev could cut such a “land bridge” connecting Russia with the Ukraine’s Zaporizhia and Kherson provinces, cutting off the supply lines to the Crimean peninsula, currently under Moscow’s control. “If Ukraine literally breaks the land bridge connecting Crimea to Russia, the entire presence of Moscow in the southeastern part of the front could collapse,” Konrad Muzyka, director of the Rochan consulting firm, told the Financial Times.
Kakhovka factor
A video released by the Russian Ministry of Defense would show Ukraine deploying its most important arsenal in Tokmak. In particular, the first Leopards were seen, tanks that Germany acquired at the end of the long conflict between Kiev and Berlin. This presence will be a confirmation of Kiev’s intention to break through on this side of the front. A façade that was literally submerged after the collapse of the Kakhovka dam on the Dnieper River last Tuesday.
The bombing of the facility was seen in the West as an attempt by Russia to halt the advance of Ukrainian troops and make the terrain impassable. But Mihail Barabanov, an expert at the Center for Strategy and Technology Analysis, a Moscow-funded think tank, said that the opposite of the floods could be a positive factor for Kiev’s progress: “The Russians’ position on the lower coast, which ‘Russian’ Barabanov said, could have overtaken the Dnipro. flooded, and the flood will not last long: in seven to 10 days the water will recede and Dnipro may become shallower than before the eruption.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
