Ukraine gains on southern front could open way to Crimea, says Kyiv

Recent gains by Ukrainian troops connected the confederate beforehand could unfastened the mode for pushing the Russians backmost to the annexed Crimean peninsula, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said.

He said this became imaginable aft Kyiv liberated the "strategically important" colony of Robotyne successful the Zaporizhzhia region.

Russia's subject says its forces are inactive holding connected to the village.

Ukraine seeks to chopped the onshore corridor to Crimea, which Russia seized successful 2014.

By doing so, Kyiv would divided successful 2 the onshore Russia occupies successful confederate Ukraine, making Moscow's proviso lines much complicated.

The latest claims by some Ukraine and Russia person not been independently verified.

Speaking astatine a caller gathering of French ambassadors successful Paris, Mr Kuleba said: "Having entrenched connected its [Robotyne's] flanks, we are opening the mode to Tokmak and, eventually, Melitopol and the administrative borderline with Crimea."

The Russian-occupied cities of Tokmak and Melitopol are cardinal subject and logistical hubs for Russia.

Mr Kuleba stressed that Ukraine's counter-offensive - launched successful aboriginal June - was continuing, but admitted it was an "extremely difficult" task.

"The fig of minefields and fortifications is unprecedented. Russian drones, helicopters and planes predominate the air. But we are gradually succeeding."

He described however 1 radical of 31 Ukrainian fighters had "literally crawled connected their stomachs done kilometres of minefields", yet making it imaginable for a brigade to retake Robotyne.

In its Wednesday's study connected the battlefield situation, Ukraine's subject besides said its forces "had success" successful the absorption to the southbound and south-east of Robotyne.

But Russia's subject said it troops had "repelled 9 attacks" by Ukrainian forces successful the Robotyne area, arsenic good arsenic astir the Verbove colony to the south-east.

Moscow - which claims to person prepared 3 antiaircraft lines successful the southbound - has repeatedly described the Ukrainian counter-offensive arsenic a full failure, costing galore soldiers' lives with small progress.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War said "Ukrainian forces continued to beforehand eastbound of Robotyne... connected 29 August, portion continuing to unafraid positions successful Robotyne".

Ukraine launched its counter-offensive aft securing modern weapons from its allies successful the West and preparing battle battalions.

However, advancement has been slow, and determination person been reports of immoderate disagreements connected warfare tactics betwixt apical Ukrainian and American generals.

Kyiv besides says it needs much Western weaponry, successful peculiar tanks, de-mining instrumentality and warfare planes - similar the US-made F-16 combatant jets - to situation Russia's superiority successful the air.

On Wednesday, warring besides continued successful north-eastern Ukraine, wherever Russian forces are attempting to beforehand connected the strategical metropolis of Kupiansk successful the Kharkiv region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful February 2022.