“In my opinion, the Russians believed that the Ukrainians would not break through this line of defense. They did everything in the past over a year ago to ensure that this area is well protected,” the commander noted. He explained that the Russian forces spent 60 percent of their time and resources on building the first line of defense and only 20 percent on the second and third lines. Ukrainian forces are advancing on both sides of the breach and fortifying themselves in the areas that have been recovered.
Most of Ukraine’s armed forces are currently stationed between Russia’s first and second defense lines. “The focus of the attack now is to destroy the enemy units that are covering the withdrawal of the Russian forces behind the second line of defense,” he added.
Tarnavsky emphasized that the counterattack was hampered by the huge minefield built by the Russians. Behind him, the Russian troops “simply stood and waited for the Ukrainian army.” He added, “As soon as any Ukrainian military equipment appeared there (on the first line of defense), the Russians fired at it immediately.
“Therefore, mines were removed only by infantry and only at night,” he explained. In his words, now that the minefield at the first line of defense has been cleared, the Russians are forced to maneuver and redeploy their forces. He stressed that the enemy is collecting reserves not only from Ukraine, but also from Russia. They can use their military equipment there, although there are still parts mined in that area.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office reported via the Telegram application that Russian forces shelled the city of Seredina-Buda in the northeastern Sumy region, while Ukrainian law enforcement officers were documenting the circumstances of the previous shelling by Russian forces. the Russian army. One policeman was killed and two others were taken to hospital for their injuries. A civilian was also wounded in the attack.
According to the latest toll of the Ukrainian General Staff, on Sunday, the losses of the Russian army in Ukraine rose by about six hundred to 264,660. On Saturday, Ukrainian forces destroyed, among other things, five Russian tanks, 22 artillery and anti-aircraft guns, in addition to 11 drones.
Cover image source: Getty Images
