Ukraine War Map Shows Zaporizhzhia Advances

Kyiv's forces have advanced beyond Russia's defenses in the southern sector of the front. This is according to independent think tank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), whose update maps the latest moves in Ukraine's counteroffensive.

Monday marked the start of the fourth month of Ukraine's push to retake Moscow-occupied territory. The ISW said the country's light infantry had gone beyond Russia's anti-tank ditches and obstacles in the western Zaporizhzhia oblast where they "intend to hold those positions."

The think tank reported how, without evidence of Ukrainian heavy equipment there, it could not assess whether Kyiv had breached this Russian defensive layer. It is known as the Surovikin Line, named after General Sergei Surovikin who once commanded Russia's war effort.

However, the ISW did note how geolocated footage showed that Ukraine had advanced to tree-line positions east of the Russian defense lines. These are immediately west of Verbove, a town believed to be Ukraine's next target.

The think tank said Ukrainian light infantry had also pushed further into Russian defensive positions along the road that runs northwest into Verbove. Ukraine's troops had advanced up to Russian defensive positions between Robotyne, which Kyiv said it captured last week and Novoprokopivka, a village eight miles south of the city of Orikhiv.

Kyiv's recapture of Robotyne was hailed as a milestone by Ukrainian commanders and U.S. officials. Ukrainian Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskiy told British paper The Observer that the Russians had expended 60 per cent of their resources on their primary defensive position around the town. This pointed to a smoother phase of Ukraine's push towards the Sea of Azov, 55 miles to the south.

The ISW said that Ukrainian troops "are widening the breach" made in one Russian defensive layer and are reportedly "maneuvering more equipment and personnel into tactical rear areas of this layer."

Open-source intelligence analyst Emil Kastehelmi wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the situation in the Robotyne-Verbove area is developing "in a positive direction" for Ukrainian troops. They had "further penetrated the first Surovikin line near Verbove" and were now reaching the main trenchline.

Kastehelmi added that Ukrainians had also overrun Russian positions south of Robotyne and established a more permanent foothold on the outskirts of Verbove.

However, he wrote "this isn't a breakthrough yet—we haven't seen quick maneuvers or Ukrainian armored vehicles operating beyond the dragon's teeth."

When contacted by Newsweek, Kastehelmi said that Verbove's location on lower ground meant that capturing it did not provide any immediate advantage for future operations.

However, it was still important because it would allow Ukraine's forces to widen their flanks and avoid a narrow salient. "While fighting for the village, Ukraine must also take the higher ground around it on the western side of the village, this is what the Ukrainians are doing at the moment," he said.

Kastehelmi also said it "might not be necessary for the Ukrainians to concentrate too much on the village itself, if they're trying to quickly break the main defense lines and continue south."

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Monday that Kyiv's forces had advanced towards Novoprokopivka, south of Robotyne. She added that, over the previous week, Ukraine had liberated around 1.15 square miles, and 18 square miles in the area since the counteroffensive started around June 4.

Newsweek has emailed the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.

Update 09/05/23, 11 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Emil Kastehelmi.