On Wednesday, the 30th of August, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told in a recent meeting of French ambassadors in Paris that it was possible to pave the way to Crimea after Kyiv liberated the “strategically important” village of Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region, writes BBC.
Kuleba highlighted that capturing Robotyne provides a path to key locations like Tokmak and Melitopol, along with the administrative border of Crimea, that are pivotal for Russia’s military operations and logistics.
Ukraine aims to sever the land connection to Crimea, which Russia occupied in 2014.
This strategy would split the Russian-controlled region in southern Ukraine, hindering Moscow’s supply routes.
Kuleba acknowledged the ongoing complexity of Ukraine’s counter-offensive launched in June, given extensive minefields and fortifications, he said that despite challenges from Russian air dominance,
progress is being made.
Russian forces assert their control over Robotyne and have said they have established three lines of defence in the south.
Moscow characterizes the Ukrainian counter-offensive as a failure, saying it has a lot of casualties and limited progress.
Ukraine claims to have breached the first line of defence and aims to continue southward to reach Russian-occupied towns along the Sea of Azov coast.
According to the US-based Institute for the Study of War, Ukrainian forces continue to advance east of Robotyne and are solidifying their position.
Russia is believed to have constructed trenches, tunnels, artillery positions, and anti-tank barriers to hinder Ukrainian advance.
Kyiv initiated the counter-offensive after receiving advanced weaponry from western allies.
Read also: Two killed in Russian missile attack on Kyiv