Ukrainian Armed Forces use Russian troop rotation to advance — military expert Svitan

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

Svitan noted that the eastern flank of the frontline is currently weakening, as some units of the 41st Russian Combined Arms Army are being redeployed from there, from near Kupyansk, Svatove, Kreminna to the Zaporizhzhia direction in the area of Orikhiv.

"But they are being replaced by units of the 25th Combined Arms Army. Therefore, the total number of Russian troops is not decreasing, it is about the same, the only thing that is decreasing is the quality. The already shelled units of the 41st Army are moving to the Zaporizhzhia direction to hold back our offensive, while the unshotted, untrained units of the 25th Army were supposed to finish forming the army by December," he noted.

The expert added that Russian troops had previously disrupted some units and are bringing them to the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna direction.

"This is exactly what we use when Russian troops are rotating - our troops in this area are really conducting counterattacks and offensive actions. There is quite a good movement in the area of Svatove, we caught one unit on rotation in the area of Kuzemivka and Azov fighters are working in the area of Kreminna forests, they also stopped the Russian troops that are attacking there," added military expert Svitan.

Ukrainian Armed Forces counteroffensive in the south: chronology

On June 12, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Myliar said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had liberated 7 settlements and advanced 6.5 kilometers.

Later, Ukraine's MoD officially confirmed the liberation of the village of Pyatikhatky in Zaporizhzhia region. Units in the Tavria sector advanced up to 7 km.

On June 24, the Ukrainian Defense Forces confirmed the recaptured territories near Krasnohorivka in the Donetsk region, which had been under Russian control since 2014.

Later it became known that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had de-occupied the village of Rivnopil, Donetsk region. It is located in the Volnovakha district of the Donetsk region. The Russian army occupied the village in March 2022.

On July 5, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy established ten military administrations in the Zaporizhzhia region and appointed their heads.

On July 27, the 35th Separate Marine Brigade, together with the 129th Brigade of the Arei Tank Corps, liberated the village of Staromayorske in the Donetsk region.

On July 31, it was reported that during the counteroffensive, the Ukrainian military had liberated more than 204 square kilometers of territory in the south.

On August 4, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Myliar said that the Defense Forces had already broken through the first line of defense in the south and moved to the intermediate line.

On August 16, Maliar reported that the Ukrainian military had completely liberated Urozhayne in the Donetsk region. Defense forces are consolidating their positions.

On August 17, the General Staff reported that Ukrainian troops had succeeded near Urozhayne. Later it became known that the enemy tried to regain the lost position near the settlement in the Donetsk region, but to no avail.

On August 19, British intelligence said that the Defense Forces continued to advance along the Mokri Yaly River in the Donetsk region.

Ukrainian forces advanced north of Robotyne in the western Zaporizhzhia region. According to ISW analysts, this will allow the Ukrainian army to launch an offensive in less mined areas of the Russian defense line and help Ukraine reach the goal faster.

On August 23, the General Staff reported that the Defense Forces were gaining ground on the borders of Novodanylivka and Novoprokopivka in the Zaporizhzhia region.

On August 27, the spokesperson for the Tavria Defense Forces press center, Oleksandr Stupun, said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were advancing south of Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia region to the village of Novoprokopivka.

On August 28, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malliar said that the Ukrainian military had officially liberated the village of Robotyne.

On August 29, the General Staff reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had succeeded in the direction of Novodanylivka-Verbove in the Zaporizhzhia region.

On August 30, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba spoke in France about the success of the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the village of Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia region.

On September 1, the White House confirmed significant progress by Ukrainian defenders south of Zaporizhzhia over the past 72 hours.

Later, The New York Times reported that Russian occupiers had used a new tactic to hinder the Ukrainian troops' advance in Zaporizhzhia region by setting fire to minefields filled with flammable substances.

On September 3, a report from the Institute for the Study of War stated that Ukrainian Armed Forces continued offensive operations in the western part of Zaporizhzhia region, advancing further.

On 8 September, the ISW confirmed the success of the Defence Forces near Bakhmut and in the area of Verbove in Zaporizhzhia. On the same day, it became known that Ukrainian defenders were successful in the area south of Robotyne.