Main thrust of Ukraine’s counteroffensive has begun on southeastern front – NYT

The main thrust of Ukraine's nearly two-month-old counteroffensive is now underway in the country's southeast, two Pentagon officials said on Wednesday, cites New York Times.

The Ukrainian military has told US officials that reinforced groups will attempt to advance south through Russian minefields and other fortifications to the city of Tokmak and, if successful, to Melitopol.

Their goal is to break the so-called land bridge between the Russian-occupied territories and the Crimean peninsula, or at least advance far enough to pull the area within the range of Ukrainian artillery since Russia has been using Crimea to base its fleet and support its forces.

The new defense force operation, if successful, could take one to three weeks, Ukrainian officials reported to Washington.

However, little progress has been made according to plan since the counteroffensive's launch in early June, while the US officials said on Wednesday that they were watching the increased activity with great interest.

This is a big challenge, said one senior US official anonymously.

The brunt of Ukraine's nearly two-month-long counteroffensive is coming from the country's southeast, where thousands of reinforcements, many trained and equipped by the West and until now, are pouring into the fierce battle, two Pentagon officials said.

The southern Zaporizhzhia front is one of the three axes of the Ukrainian counter-offensive.

One of Ukraine's military goals is to reach the Sea of Azov, driving a wedge between the Russian-occupied territories in the south and east of Ukraine.

Andrii Kovalyov, the spokesperson for Ukrainian forces, said that troops had succeeded in the area of Staromayorske on the southern front.

Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar confirmed that Russians are massing troops in all directions, attempting to stop Ukraine's advance.  She noted the Defense Forces are holding back the Russian offensive on the eastern Kupiansk and Lyman fronts and continue to successfully conduct offensive operations in the Bakhmut direction and in the south of Ukraine.