Advance in Ukraine to accelerate as forces breach Russia's strongest line of defense

Ukrainian soldiers ride a tank near the village of Robotine in Ukraine as the counter-offensive against Russia gains momentum Photo: VYACHESLAV RATYNSKY/REUTERS

Ukrainian forces believe they have broken through Russia's strongest line of defense and will now be able to move faster, said a commander fighting in the south.

Kiev troops are ready to capture the village of Robotine in southern Ukraine. Southern sector of the front line. This victory, commanders say, could unlock a powerful Russian defense.

Elsewhere on the battlefields of Ukraine, two Ukrainian aircraft collided during a training flight, killing three pilots, including an ace who dreamed of flying. F-16.

Ukraine has been making a significant breakthrough in Russia's well-entrenched defenses since the start of the counter-offensive in June.

Western-trained brigades, including those equipped with British Challenger 2 tanks, have joined the offensive in hope. breakthrough.

«We won't stop there,» said an infantry commander named Skala. “We drove through the main roads that were mined. We are approaching the frontiers where we can go (forward). I'm sure we'll go faster from here.”

The video of the battle for Robotine shows fierce firefights in thick dense foliage.

Artillery

A later drone shot shows a convoy of Ukrainian soldiers entering the village.

All buildings were destroyed, artillery shells scratched the ground, and trees were stripped of leaves and branches.

Robotine is considered an important site because it is located on the road to Tokmok, which protects the road south towards Melitopol, the largest city in the area and the administrative center of the occupation Russian troops.

It is also 70 miles away. east of Berdyansk, a port city on the Sea of ​​Azov, which Russia has used extensively to load stolen grain for export.

Russian military bloggers have confirmed heavy fighting in the Robotine area, eight miles from the counteroffensive line, and acknowledged that Ukrainian forces had captured part of the village.

“Heavy fighting continues on the southern edge of Robotine,” Rybar told his 1.2 million followers. “Despite the constant attacks by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Russian units maintain partial control over the village.”

Offensive

Ukraine's western allies are unhappy with what they see as the slow pace of the Ukrainian offensive, despite all the equipment they have. passed.

In July, in a leaked German intelligence report, Ukraine accused Ukraine of abandoning NATO infantry training and instead resorting to Soviet-style Cold War tactics. Ukrainian forces responded by saying that this was unfair and that large minefields and Russian air superiority complicate the situation.

Earlier, the Ukrainian military reported that two Aero L-39 Albatros combat training aircraft collided over the Zhytomyr region. , west of Kyiv.

“An investigation has begun. Among the dead is a well-known pilot of the 40th tactical aviation brigade, who used the call sign «Juice», — the Ukrainian Air Force reported, referring to pilot Andriy Pilshchikov.

Pilshchikov was sometimes called the «ghost of Kiev», a reference to the mythical Ukrainian ace pilot who is said to have shot down dozens of Russian warplanes in the first few weeks of the war.

Heroism

Official officials say the myth was based on heroics 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade, Pilshchikov's unit.

According to messages left on social media, Pilshchikov wanted to learn how to fly the F-16 fighter jets now promised by Ukraine's NATO allies.

“You dreamed about the F-16 and waited for news about their transfer. You loved your bird and literally lived in the sky,” says one of the memoirs.

Without weapons, numerical superiority and outdated, the Ukrainian Air Force became a symbol of Ukraine’s stubborn determination to resist the Russian invasion.

< p>After 18 months of lobbying, Ukrainian pilots have begun training on F-16 fighter jets and should fly them over Ukrainian battlefields by early next year.

Pilshchikov was considered one of the Ukrainian Air Force. Force's most experienced pilots actively lobbied in the media and on the Internet to provide Ukraine with the F-16. He usually flew a Soviet-era MiG-29 and made dozens of sorties during the defense of Kiev in February and March last year.

After his death was announced, Ukrainian activist Melania Polodyak posted a photo in Twitter, on which she lies on the grass, smiles and hugs Pilshchikov.

“Thank you for hugging me again yesterday before leaving,” she wrote. «I will do everything as promised.»