Ukraine's Armed Forces are exhausting Russian troops in the south and forcing them to move their reserves. Column by Serhiy Zgurets

Meeting "Ground Robotic Systems"

The meeting was a good opportunity to accelerate the supply of both airborne and ground-based platforms to the Defense Forces. These hopes are reasonable, as the meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff, and 30 manufacturing companies that produce ground drones or components for them. Before Russia's full-scale invasion, there were four or five of them. They present different models that have to be evaluated or adopted by the Armed Forces. The need for ground robotic platforms is more than 10,000, which is a significant market that manufacturers must meet. Our military is interested in life-saving robots: for transportation of the wounded, mine clearance, and logistics. We also need machines that destroy the enemy: robots with combat modules, kamikaze drones, and reconnaissance robots.

Finally, Ukrainian companies are ready to unite. A cluster of ground robotic systems will be created, and in certain areas, many manufacturers will coordinate their efforts to speed up and unify the production of platforms. The conclusions are quite optimistic: Ukrainians are willing to cooperate in creating robotic systems, and the Armed Forces will become more innovative, using drones to protect the lives of our soldiers.

At least five companies said they are testing platforms on the battlefield, primarily those that provide demining, strikes on the enemy, and remote turrets (a machine gun mount, cannon, rockets - ed.). 

Robonis has provided at least one hundred turrets that use 7.62 or 12.7 machine guns to help our operators safely destroy the Russians. There are many samples of new equipment. Our companies have the potential. 

I hope for qualitative changes in this area and that the bureaucracy in the Ministry of Defense will fade into the background because one of the participants was the Ministry's accelerator, a project office that aims to eliminate bureaucratic obstacles to the promotion of technological solutions. I saw the position of the officials and their attitude, and I am quite satisfied with this meeting. 

US statement on Ukraine's counteroffensive

There is nothing new to say: the Ukrainian army is advancing in the south. Its goal is to cut the land corridor connecting the temporarily occupied territories with Russia. We know about this. I was surprised by the information that the offensive will last three weeks, and the main direction has been determined - towards Mariupol. However, any forecasts in such materials have little to do with the specific situation on each section of the front. 

I think that one thing is the publications in the US media, and the other is the approach of the General Staff aimed at forming an optimal strategy for the liberation of the South. The main directions are Vasylivka, Melitopol, and Berdiansk. Other areas may be added to the list, so that the Russian Federation will no longer be able to clearly concentrate its reserves and will be forced to cover the first line, where the Defense Forces destroy the enemy with artillery and long-range systems, with reserves from the second and third lines.

The prolonged depletion of the Russians fits into the concept of the Armed Forces. Advancement in the south is fundamental, as it guarantees the exhaustion of the Russian Federation, but this does not mean that the direction to Bakhmut is less promising. Making forecasts of frontline actions is an ungrateful business. For now, we are guided by the General Staff's assessments, not by foreign media publications, which can draw their own conclusions, but life happens.

The situation in the areas of Robotyne and Staromayorske

In the Melitopol sector, fighting continues along the Robotyne - Verbove line. The enemy is defending there. We came close to the northern outskirts of Robotyne, and on July 26 there were many reports in the Russian media that Ukrainians had used Bradley, massive attacks were underway, and the Ukrainian Armed Forces had reached the first line of defense, which starts along or behind Robotyne. Some experts attributed this to the success of the Defense Forces. There is also success in Staromayorske.

All along the southern front, the Defense Forces are pressuring Russia with artillery and mechanized units, forcing the enemy to transfer reserves. This could last for a month and a half.