Alexander Musienko, the head of the Center for Military-Legal Research, explained in a telethon why the loss of the village of Rabotino in Zaporizhia is highly painful for the occupiers.
"They are trying to block the route to Tokmak. However, they understand that losing these positions would mean that our systems could function. Specifically, our artillery would be able to reach them farther, directly in the area around Tokmak. This is the path, consequently, to Melitopol. That's why they are clinging to it, offering such resistance, because they wanted to retain this foothold for themselves," the specialist stated.
In his view, the adversary believed that it would be more convenient for them to defend from there, but losing this foothold would result in significant losses for them. Therefore, the capture of Rabotino is a significant achievement, and the Defense Forces now have the prospect of advancing further towards Tokmak and Melitopol.
At the same time, Musienko noted that the enemy concentration in this direction is still substantial, and challenging battles continue. It's unlikely that one should anticipate swift and rapid advances by the Ukrainian defenders at this point because the invaders will be reinforcing their positions.
Musienko mentioned that two large enemy units have entered Ukrainian territory. It's evident that the one advancing to the south will proceed to the second or third line of defense. The expert does not rule out the possibility that the occupiers will dig in, creating additional defensive lines to impede the Defense Forces from advancing further.
"Another question is how far they will manage to get. If they move away from active combat zones—where we won't be able to reach them with artillery—there, we won't give the invaders a single chance to dig in or create additional obstacles with the artillery and other fire we can deliver," the specialist emphasized.
