De-occupation of Melitopol will decide further fate of Ukraine’s counteroffensive

He stated this on Espreso. 

"Now we can't talk about liberating Sevastopol. The most important city for a successful counteroffensive is Melitopol. If our counteroffensive reaches at least Melitopol, it's one situation. But if it stops where we are now, it's completely different," Dykyi stated.

The expert highlighted that the Defense Forces are carrying out complex operations to destroy the enemy's first line of defense.

"Our brave soldiers are currently facing a challenging task. They are systematically analyzing and studying the enemy's initial defense line. I believe that in the near future, we will successfully break through their first line and advance towards the second," he added.

• Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the Russian Federation has suffered significant losses in Ukraine, including over 227,000 soldiers, 4,036 tanks, 3,499 drones, and 387 air defense systems.

• During the night of June 27-28, there was increased activity by the Russians in the temporarily occupied city of Melitopol.