Russia pushing towards two towns in Zaporizhzhia

MOSCOW: Moscow’s forces are pushing towards two towns in Ukraine´s Zaporizhzhia region, where fighting intensified this week after several months of a stagnant front, Russian state media reported Sunday.

Russian-installed official in the region Vladimir Rogov said offensive actions were concentrated around two towns: Orikhiv, around 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Ukrainian-controlled regional capital Zaporizhzhia, and Hulyaipole, further east.

“The front is mobile, especially in two directions: Orikhiv and Hulyaipole,” Rogov was quoted as saying by the Ria Novosti news agency. He said there was active fighting in those areas, according to the agency. “The initiative is in our hands.”

The Russian army later claimed for a second day in a row that it had taken “more advantageous lines and positions” after “offensive operations” in Zaporizhzhia. It claimed to have hit Ukrainian positions in the village of Lezhyno, outside the regional capital of Zaporizhzhia, which has not fallen to Ukrainian forces. AFP was not able to verify this information.

In its daily report on Sunday, the Ukrainian army said “more than 15 settlements were affected by artillery fire” in Zaporizhzhia. Earlier this week, Rogov announced a “local offensive” around Orikhiv and said the Russian army had taken control of the village of Lobkove, near the Dnipro river.

He also said this week that fighting has “sharply increased” in the southern region. Meanwhile, Poland´s prime minister lashed out at Germany´s decision not to supply Leopard tanks to Ukraine, branding the country´s stance “unacceptable”.

Berlin has been hesitant to send the heavy-duty tanks or allow other nations to transfer them to Kyiv. “Germany´s attitude is unacceptable. It has been almost a year since the war began. Innocent people are dying every day,” Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told the PAP agency.

On Friday, around 50 countries agreed to provide Kyiv with billions of dollars´ worth of military hardware, including armoured vehicles and munitions needed to push back Russian forces. But German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said despite heightened expectations, “we still cannot say when a decision will be taken, and what the decision will be, when it comes to the Leopard tank.”