Russia is likely to be switching troops from parts of the frontline to replace degraded units in the south of Ukraine, according to British defense officials.
The Ukrainian counteroffensive aimed at retaking Russian-occupied territory is in its fourth month. Kyiv’s forces are said to have advanced into the multilayered defensive line east of Robotyne, in the southern Zaporizhzhia oblast. Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry via email for comment.
It comes as Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of the Kryvyi Rih’s defense council, reported that 74 people had been injured in a missile strike that targeted a police station in the city in the center of the country on Friday. Vilkul said that 34 people had been hospitalized and three were in a serious condition. Newsweek has not yet been able to substantiate this report.
The British Ministry MOD wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday that it was highly likely that Moscow had redeployed forces from other parts of the frontline. These would replace degraded units around Robotyne, which Kyiv had retaken on August 28. These measures were probably restricting Russia’s ability to carry out offensive operations along other areas of the front line.
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Ukrainian forces are also said to have “maintained pressure on Russian positions south of Bakhmut in the Donetsk oblast,” according to the U.K. Ministry of Defense (MOD) assessment, which highlights Ukrainian gains and Russian losses.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces had reported on Facebook on Friday that its troops had continued offensive operations in the Melitopol direction, making gains south of Robotyne. Its update added that Russian troops had launched unsuccessful attacks near Novohryhorivka in Luhansk Oblast, and in the Avdiivka direction in Donetsk Oblast.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that Ukrainian troops were continuing their advances south of Bakhmut and Robotyne, although there were no confirmed gains on Friday.
Meanwhile, the U.S.-based think tank added that Russian forces had changed their command and control structures and adapted their electronic warfare (EW) systems to improve information sharing.
The ISW noted a report by the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET) that Russian forces had improved communications between command posts and units at the front by laying field cables and using safer radio communications.
Moscow’s forces had moved headquarters out of range of most Ukrainian strike systems and placed forward command posts further underground and behind heavily defended positions.
“It is unclear if Russian forces have employed this more protected command infrastructure throughout Ukraine,” or how much this has impeded Ukraine’s operations, the ISW said.
Also, Russian forces still frequently communicate sensitive information through unsecure channels, the ISW added. The think tank said that Russian forces still faced a big communications challenge due to the disparity of Moscow’s units across Ukraine.