Orikhiv front in Ukraine’s southeast emerges as new flashpoint

A new section on the southern front line is "heating up," according to Dmytro Lykhovyi, a spokesperson for the Tavria Operational Command Unit, Rubryka reports.

"We're observing heightened activity on the Orikhiv front, where the enemy is attempting to breach the Robotyne position. In previous days and weeks, there were occasionally no enemy assaults, or perhaps 1-3, maximum 5. However, in the past day alone, we've recorded 16 enemy attacks west of the village of Verbove and around the village of Robotyne," he explained.

Lykhovyi said the Russian army was showing increased activity similar to what was observed in mid-February but was halted.

"They're making new offensive attempts there now. And the more they advance, the more of their troops and equipment we destroy," Lykhovyi added.

He also mentioned that the Russians are attempting quad-bike attacks on the Zaporizhzhia front.

"Yesterday, we also destroyed two quad bikes," the military officer stated.

The operational situation on this front line remains challenging but under control, according to Lykhovyi, describing it as a "stabilizing situation."

He reported that out of all combat engagements across the entire front line in Ukraine during the past day, the vast majority occurred in the operational zone of the Tavria Operational Command Unit.

"Yesterday, the enemy conducted 57 combat engagements here. The Russians also carried out nearly 900 artillery strikes and launched 24 air strikes. The number of air strikes is decreasing as more Russian jets are being downed," he said. "Guided air bombs are falling less frequently, and aerial support for the Russian ground offensive is diminishing. There were also three missile strikes and 127 drone kamikaze attacks here."

On the Avdiivka front, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled Russian assault attempts in the areas of Berdychivka, Tonenke, Pervomaiske, and Nevelske.

"The enemy attempted to break through our troops' defenses 20 times unsuccessfully on the Novopavlivka front, particularly near Maryinka and in the areas of Horiyivka, Pobieda, especially Novomykhailivka, and the city of Krasnohorivka," Lykhovyi concluded.

The Russian losses in the zone of the Tavria Operational Command Unit amounted to 389 soldiers, including both killed and wounded, during the past day.

54 pieces of equipment were destroyed, including three tanks, ten armored personnel carriers, 19 artillery systems, one anti-tank guided missile system, one self-propelled gun, 17 vehicles, and three pieces of special equipment.

"312 Russian UAVs, including Zala and SuperCam, were neutralized by electronic warfare means or shot down with small arms. Additionally, Ukrainian forces destroyed three enemy ammunition depots," Lykhovyi added.

Moreover, one more "Murom-M" video surveillance complex was destroyed during the past day.

"We destroyed two such complexes the day before. Also, a 203 mm self-propelled howitzer of the reserve of the Supreme Command was damaged, with two units affected. One Acacia system was damaged," he said.

Front-line situation

Overall, the losses of Russian forces since the full-scale invasion now exceed 421,430 military personnel.

As reported, there were 92 combat engagements on the Ukrainian front line during the past day. Russian forces are conducting assault operations on three fronts in the Donetsk region.

According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), positional battles are ongoing near Avdiivka and Novomykhailivka, near the villages of Robotyne and Verbove, and near Krynky, where Ukrainian forces are repelling Russian assaults. Occupiers have made some progress on the Kupiansk and Bakhmut fronts.

ISW experts believe that continued delays of Western security assistance will likely postpone Ukrainian efforts to regain initiative across the entire theater of operations. A planned new Russian offensive in the spring or summer of this year could also disrupt this.

However, Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavliuk, the Ukrainian Ground Forces Commander, stated that Ukraine is stabilizing the front line and preparing for counter-offensive actions to regain the initiative.