A recent announcement that Ukrainian forces had penetrated into the first Russian defense line in Zaporozhye province (southeast) raised hopes that Kiev would make strategic gains after criticism of a “slow” counter-offensive.

Gen. Oleksandr Tarnovsky, the commander of the southern Ukrainian counteroffensive, said weeks after clearing the mines that Kiev had managed to penetrate Russia’s first line of defense near the Zaporizhia region and that he expected to make “rapid gains” as it put pressure on the second. According to an interview with “The British Guardian, Sunday” newspaper, the weak Russian line.

He said in his first interview since the breach: “We are now between the first and second lines of defense,” stressing that Ukrainian forces are now advancing on both sides of the breach and strengthening their grip on land they captured during the latest fighting. .

She looked CNN This advance means that Kiev is close to penetrating Moscow’s sprawling network of fortified trenches in the south.

Ukrainian soldiers said they expected battles to erupt for control of territory south and east of the village of Novoprokopivka in Zaporizhia, which Kiev defended last week “amid a grueling counter-offensive”.

The network said it made additional gains as the forces approached the Russian second line of defense.

News of the latest advance comes after reports that Kiev’s allies are concerned about the slow pace of the counteroffensive. CNN reported earlier this month that the U.S. is increasingly receiving “complicated updates.”

This was before Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar announced on September 1 that Ukrainian forces had breached the Russian “first line” in some areas towards Zaporizhia. However, she insisted that the situation was still difficult due to additional Russian concrete. Forts and Mines.

On September 2, the New York Times reported, citing Ukrainian military officials, that Russian forces were spreading combustible materials on mined fields and igniting them with bombs launched by drones, while Ukrainian forces were working to clear the mines.

He mentioned Institute for War Studies On August 15, officers of the 58th Combined Arms Army, a base unit on the front line in the Zaporizhia region, contacted their former commander, Ivan Bobo, as the situation on the front line continued to deteriorate.

The company said the move to seek help without trusting their new leader reflects a lack of confidence in their current leadership.

On Friday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told CNN that Kiev had not failed in its latest offensive but was “moving forward” and stressed that “our allies who help us, including the United States, realize that things are moving.” Forward.” “The right direction… it’s a tough battle.”

General Serhii Baranov, head of the General Directorate of the Ukrainian Missile and Artillery Forces, told Ukrainian media on Thursday that Kiev had benefited from long-range artillery provided by NATO. He said that while the average range of Russian artillery is 24 kilometers, the weapons supplied to Ukraine can fire at a distance of 30 to 40 kilometers.

“It was able to destroy or damage enemy guns, shift enemy artillery from the front line to the rear and prevent anti-battery warfare against our artillery,” Baranov said.

Ukrainian units appear to be positioned some distance west of the village of Verbov in the country’s southeast, where Russian military bloggers have reported increased activity but said Russian forces have so far resisted Kiev’s advance.

In its latest update, the Institute for Combat Research, Margot Grasberg, commander of the Estonian Defense Forces Intelligence Center, said on September 1 that Ukrainian artillery’s capabilities were “equal or even better” than Russian forces. and was able to push Russian artillery units back from the front line, preventing them from supporting Russian forces.

But the agency said the observation “generally does not hold true across the front line,” with Ukrainian units reportedly coming under heavy Russian artillery fire.

Grasberg also said that Ukrainian forces have succeeded in causing serious damage to Russian artillery radars since July.

Russian sources have repeatedly expressed concerns about the lack of anti-artillery fire since mid-July, particularly in southern Ukraine.

In recent weeks, Kiev has pushed its units toward the strategic city of Dokmok, a logistics hub for Russian forces through which a railroad runs for cargo, CNN reported.

The fighting escalated toward the northern outskirts of Novoprokopyevka, a small rural town about 4 kilometers south of Robotin, and close to a line of Russian fortifications at Zaporizhia, according to the 46th Brigade, which fought in the area.

Al-Liwa Channel said in a telegram, “Passing the heights from the northeast was able to put pressure on the enemy’s right flank and reach its first line of defense located on the heights to the south.”

He added: “(The Russians) are continuing to counterattack and defend strongly. We are moving and putting pressure on the aggressors, but a month’s struggle shows that the enemy will not give up the lands they have captured. There is a lot. There is work ahead of us.”