AFU advance in Robotyne area continuing counteroffensive on 2 more sections of the front – ISW

On August 20, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) conducted counteroffensive operations on at least two areas of the front. Also, the AFU managed to advance in the area of the village of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia Region.

This follows from a statement by a recent report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Analysts note that the General Staff of the AFU reported that Ukrainian troops continued counteroffensive actions on the Melitopol and Berdiansk axes. Thus, the AFU advanced in the west of the Zaporizhzhia Region and recently advanced. Data indicates that our fighters have recently advanced to the east of Robotyne (10 km south of Orikhiv). Ukrainian forces captured unspecified russian positions west of Verbove (18 km southeast of Orikhiv) and continued to attack russian positions along the Robotyne-Verbove line.

In addition, in the Bakhmut area, Ukrainian forces also continued a limited counteroffensive and had little success. The AFU reached positions further west and north of Andriyivka (10 km southwest of Bakhmut).

The Ministry of Defense of the russian federation announced that russian troops repelled six assaults by the AFU near Vilshana, Synkivka, and Ivanivka (6 km east of Kupiyansk) of Kharkiv Oblast and Novoselivske of Luhansk Region (15 km northwest of Svatove). The AFU also attacked near Torske (15 km west of Kreminna), Bilohorivka, and Serebrianske Forestry south of Kreminna.

The report also notes that the strikes of the AFU against the rear of the russian army are undermining the morale of the occupiers. And this can threaten the stability of russian defense in several critical areas of the front. Russian forward units, especially in the south of Ukraine, often face a drop in morale after Ukrainian strikes on the rear. Morale problems can quickly escalate and spread among the occupiers. The russians are also likely to lack the necessary reserves to rotate out-of-service units, making it imperative to maintain morale in front-line units.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, the occupiers are trying to advance in the area of Urozhaine; the AFU are holding back the russian advance near Mariyinka.