Ukrainian troops have fought their way into the Zaporizhzhia village of Robotyne as their grinding summer counteroffensive continues. Pictures and videos have emerged from the frontline showing lead units evacuating civilians who have remained in their homes through months of heavy fighting.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported on Monday afternoon that soldiers of the 47th Mechanized Brigade had entered the village. For several weeks, Robotyne has been at the epicenter of Ukrainian efforts to break through Russian defensive lines and drive towards the logistics hub of Tokmak.
Roman Chop/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
On Tuesday, Maliar wrote on Telegram that soldiers had organized the evacuation of Robotyne residents while under continued Russian artillery fire. The troops used American-made Bradley Fighting Vehicles to evacuate the civilians, Maliar said, posting images showing the soldiers assisting locals. The 47th Mechanized Brigade also posted a video to its Facebook page showing the evacuation.
Maliar said that fighting continues in the settlement. “Our fighters perform planned combat work and destroy the enemy. In response, the Russians are continuously shelling Robotyne with artillery,” she added.
In an earlier Telegram post, Maliar said that Russian forces were trying to regain lost positions to the east of the village but were unsuccessful. “Planned combat work is currently underway in Robotyne,” she added.
On Tuesday, Andriy Kovalov—a Ukrainian armed forces spokesperson—said that Kyiv’s forces are consolidating their positions around Robotyne following the most-recent advances, as quoted by online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry by email to request comment.
Ukraine’s success around Robotyne has been described as tactically significant by the U.S.-based think tank Institute for the Study of War. Though not yet constituting a significant breakthrough, Kyiv’s gains in the Zaporizhzhia region offer a glimmer of hope in what has so far been a slow and costly counteroffensive operation.
“Ukrainian attacks on Robotyne are tactically significant because a Ukrainian advance in the area may allow Ukrainian forces to begin operating past the densest Russian minefields,” the ISW’s Monday evening bulletin wrote.
“Ukrainian advances across fields in this area likely confirm this assessment. Persistent Ukrainian advances in the Robotyne area also likely aim to degrade Russian forces that have committed significant effort, resources, and personnel to hold positions around Robotyne,” the ISW added.
The village represents the furthest southern drive by Ukrainian forces since the counteroffensive started in early June. Robotyne sits along the T0408 highway, a route that runs 15 miles south to the logistical hub of Tokmak and on to the occupied city of Melitopol; a key objective for Ukrainian military planners and the linchpin of Russian-occupied southern Ukraine.
To the east, Ukrainian units are also on the offensive around the Donetsk village of Urozhaine, which was liberated last week. The small village sits on the T0518 highway, which runs down to occupied Mariupol and the Sea of Azov coastline.