This is slow but steady progress. On some days it is 500 meters, on others it is a thousand. But without respite and without fatigue. Ukrainian forces for the first time broke through the Russian defense line in the south and achieved the return of the city of Robotine. This is progress, but it is still far from the turning point in the counter-offensive that began last summer. To achieve their goals, they will have to overcome the calls dragon teethmines and everything that forms the defense zone of the Russian Federation.

This struggle in the south, reminiscent of the wars of the last century, is combined by Ukrainians with the use of the technology of future wars with drones, with which they fly to Russian territory almost daily, and also strike at the occupied Crimea. At the same time, they insist that they need Western help. They have improved their air defense capabilities like the Patriots, but are still under heavy fire on a daily basis, even in the capital. According to Ukrainian sources, about 100,000 Russian soldiers will be deployed in the northernmost region of the east, along the Kupyansk-Svyatoe-Kremennaya line.

At an informal summit of defense ministers to be held in Toledo this Wednesday, and at a foreign affairs summit on Thursday, which will be attended by Ukrainian diplomat Dmitry Kuleba, it will be clear that European support is a fundamental pillar. to build a Ukrainian victory, a victory that would not have been possible without the determination of the Ukrainian people, politicians and military.

Thus, the Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Anna Malyar on Monday confirmed the complete release of Robotine and the continuation of the advance to the southeast, “despite the fierce resistance of the enemy.” Robotine itself is a great conquest, not because of its importance or size, but because it will be the gateway to the Russian-controlled Tokmok logistics and rail hub. Thus, from the side of Robotin, they continued to approach the ditches located towards Verbovo, according to Army magazine. They will go to Novokropopovka, which they defend dragon teeth, ditches and mines. Satellite images show the destruction caused by artillery.

The call starts to fall apart Surovikin Line, in honor of the now disgraced commander. This is a defensive system that stretches from Vasilyevka to Novopetrikovka, on the border of Zaporia and Donetsk. There are many more kilometers fortified by Russia, up to a thousand or so.

More than a line, it’s a protection zone. Now they say that the leading zone has been exceeded, but not the main one.”

Francisco Gan Pampols, lieutenant general of the reserve

Although we are talking about the lines, in reality the defense is not carried out on the lines themselves, as explained by Lieutenant General in the reserve Francisco Gan Pampols. “This is a defense zone: there is an advanced part, a main part and a rear part. The main part of the resistance falls on the main one, which consists of the leading edge, positions in front and in depth, and the rear edge. said that the advanced zone was completed, but not the main zone. dragon teeth these are anti-carriage barriers combined with minefields in front, between them and behind. The whole set, in which metal beams are also welded against the carriage (asparagus) is under fire,” notes the military expert, who notes that at this stage there is still “more story building and an information campaign than transcendent events.”

To stop the Ukrainian counter-offensive, reinforced by the arrival of tanks and Western rocket launchers, leopard and the Khimars, among others, the Russians were fully occupied with what they had mastered since World War II: trench art.

Russian engineers created a dense system of fortifications, of which the so-called dragon teeth. They are pyramidal anti-tank barriers made of reinforced concrete. Its purpose is to slow down the advance of the enemy and force him to go where he has mined or can be destroyed by anti-tank weapons. Both the Germans and the British used them in World War II.

At the stage of the war in Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022. dragon teeth both in Russian Belgorod and in Lugansk, on Ukrainian territory or in Melitopol. Now they are back at the peak of popularity.

Furious frontline defense

According to Jesús Manuel Pérez Triana, military analyst and creator of OsintSahel.com, “The Russians put the meat on the grill to protect the first line. In Kherson, after this stage, there was blood, sweat and tears. But you should not look at the map, in the amount of liberated territory, but in the Russian units that seize power, and the southern front is a meat grinder for the Russians. They’ve moved troops from the northeast where they’re reclaiming territory, and they’ve brought the 76th Airborne Division south as an emergency measure. The Russians, despite the defense, lose more equipment than the Ukrainians.”

General Mark Milley, head of the US military, acknowledged that this is a “bloody, slow and prolonged” offensive, but it is not something exceptional in a war. While he still believes it’s too early to judge whether this will ultimately be a success, he still believes the Ukrainians have had a “partial success”. Proof of this is the way Russian bloggers refer to “those bastards who keep advancing despite the artillery.”

The offensive did not stall and did not reach a climax. He has not yet reached key milestones where Russian logistics hubs will be within reach.”

Jesús Manuel Pérez Triana, military analyst

According to Perez Triana, “the fundamental thing is how Ukrainians approach Russian logistics and communication hubs. When they have Tormak within reach, they will cause damage. And when they have Melitopol within reach, Berdyansk and Mariupol will become milestones.” …Then the Russian presence in the south will be compromised. Thus, the offensive has not stalled, but has not yet reached key milestones where the nerve centers of Russian logistics will be within reach. “It is imperative that they get there to the winter plateau or stay as close as possible to this goal.

This view is supported by Ukrainian Petr Burkovsky, director of Democratic Initiatives, who believes that if the Ukrainians take Tokmok and Melitopol, the transport hubs and the connection between Crimea and mainland Russia, the Russians will have to withdraw from all the southern territories, which they later captured on February 24, 2022 of the year. This is what will make the isolation of Crimea possible, as sea routes are under threat from Ukrainian surface drones.”