Ukrainian forces break through invading Russian forces' first line of defense near Zaporizhzhia

He told about this in an interview with The Guardian.

Tarnavskyi estimated that Russia devoted 60% of its time and resources to the construction of the first line of defense and only 20% each of the second and third lines, since Moscow did not expect Ukrainian forces to pass.

According to him, the AFU are now between the first and second lines of defense.

"In the center of the offensive, we are now completing the destruction of enemy units that provide cover for the retreat of Russian troops behind their second defensive line," he said.

Tarnavskyi emphasized that the huge minefield blocked the Ukrainian offensive for several weeks while the sappers cleared the assault route on foot. Behind him, Russian troops "just stood and waited for the Ukrainian army", picking off vehicles with shells and drones.

According to Tarnavskyi, after the Ukrainian forces overcome this barrier, the Russians are forced to strengthen their positions, drawing troops to this area from other directions - Kherson and Lyman, as well as from the territory of Russia.

"The enemy is pulling up reserves, not only from Ukraine but also from Russia. But sooner or later, the Russians will run out of all the best soldiers. This will give us an impetus to attack more and faster. Everything is ahead of us," Tarnavskyi emphasized.

As the general noted, during the counteroffensive, Ukraine spent more time than expected on demining the territories.

"Unfortunately, the evacuation of the wounded was difficult for us. And this also complicated our advance. In my opinion, the Russians believed the Ukrainians would not get through this line of defense. They had been preparing for over one year. They did everything to make sure that this area was prepared well," noted Tarnavskyi.

According to him, the second line is very different from the first. It is not so fortified, it consists of several scattered areas, rather than a continuous one, the minefields there are much smaller, and there is an opportunity to use military equipment more actively.

Ukrainian Armed Forces counteroffensive in the south

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.