The Ukrainian Armed Forces are advancing towards the next village after Robotyne, which is Novoprokopovka, as reported by Alexander Stupun, the spokesperson for the united press center of the defense forces in the Tavriia direction, during a United News broadcast on Sunday.
"Despite the quite difficult combat conditions, our troops were advancing in the areas of Urozhainoye and Robotyne. Currently, they are advancing towards Novoprokopovka near Robotion and in the direction of Mala Tokmacha – Ocheretovatoye," he stated.
The Ukrainian flag was raised over Robotyne on August 23rd.
According to him, the Russians are redeploying reinforcements to this direction from other parts of the front and increasing the number of airstrikes to halt the advancement of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Additionally, he mentioned that the movement of Ukrainian troops is also being hindered by strong Russian army fortifications.
Russian sources confirm the offensive actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces towards Novoprokopovka. However, they state that the advance is not coming from Robotyne but from positions east of it, as if bypassing the village. According to some Russian military Telegram channels, the Russian army has already left Robotyne, subjecting Ukrainian forces in the village to constant artillery and airstrikes. Some channels report that the Russians still maintain positions to the south of the village.
Robotyne and Novoprokopovka are villages on the path to Tokmak. This significant transportation hub is considered the main tactical objective of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' offensive in this direction. If captured, the Ukrainian army will gain the ability to strike the main supply road for Russian forces in southern Ukraine, which goes through Melitopol.
The distance from Robotyne to Tokmak is about 25 kilometers, and from Novoprokopovka, it's 20 kilometers. For comparison, since the start of the offensive in the Robotyne area (since June 8), the Ukrainian Armed Forces have advanced 5-7 kilometers in this sector. Military experts have previously noted that there are strong Russian defensive lines between Robotyne and Tokmak. Therefore, whether the Ukrainian forces can reach Tokmak in the near future depends on whether Russia has reserves to provide a defense here as solid as what was in the Robotyne area.
