Ukrainian forces are regaining territory through a series of offensives, including the previously unannounced operation “Veles“ near Kupyansk, in which underground gas pipelines were used to bypass Russian positions. This was stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his evening video address.
Zelensky said that the position of the Ukrainian army on the battlefield is the strongest in some time. According to him, it can be further strengthened with the supply of air defense systems from Western allies.
The operation near Kupyansk
The president indicated that the operation “Veles“ was carried out near Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region. The city was returned to Ukrainian control in late 2022, but has been under constant Russian pressure since then.
“This is a strong operation, well-planned and technologically oriented. The Russians tried to use underground gas pipelines to bypass our positions“, Zelensky said.
He said Ukrainian servicemen had turned this tactic against Russian forces. “Our fighters used the underground infrastructure against the occupiers with exceptional success“, the Ukrainian president said.
Fighting north of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk
Zelensky also announced an airborne operation in eastern Ukraine, as well as an operation “Vivaldi“ in the north. It is designed to prevent a Russian advance in key areas.
According to a report by a senior Ukrainian commander under the “Vivaldi“ Ukrainian forces have cleared 75 square kilometers of Russian infiltrators and reclaimed another 10 square kilometers of territory. The operation is taking place north of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, which are part of a fortified area known as the “fortress belt“.
Taking the two cities would bring Russia closer to its goal of establishing control over all of Donbas. In August, Zelensky reported Ukrainian successes in the south, where 26 settlements were returned to Ukrainian control.
Conflicting claims about the front
Moscow continues to claim that Russian forces are advancing along almost the entire 1,200-kilometer front. The Chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, said earlier this month that since the beginning of September, Russian troops have taken control of 92 Ukrainian settlements, including Dobropilya.
The Ukrainian military has rejected the Russian claims. The territorial changes reported by both sides have not yet been independently confirmed in the Reuters publication.
Sources: bta.bg, straitstimes.com