Russia’s 1st line of def in south breached: Kyiv gen

Kyiv’s army has made an important breakthrough by breaching Russian lines in southern Ukraine, akey general told British media this weekend, saying he now expected faster progress in the Zaporizhzhia area.
General Oleksandr Tarnavskiy, leading the southern counteroffensive, spoke several days after Kyiv declared a strategic victory by recapturing the southern village of Robotyne.
The interview came as President Volodymyr Zelensky has increasingly vocally dismissed criticism of Kyiv’s counteroffensive, that has made slower gains than expected. “We are now between the first and second defensive lines,” Tarnavskiy said.
“In the centre of the offensive, we are now completing the destruction of enemy units that provide cover for the retreat of Russian troops behind their second defensive line.” Heavily mined territory had slowed Ukrainian troops, saying that sappers had cleaned a route by foot and at night. Tarnavskiy told Guardian that Moscow’s forces “just stood and waited for the Ukrainian army”.
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The paper quoted him as saying that Kyiv’s forces are now back on vehicles and that Russia has redeployed troops to the area.
“The enemy is pulling up reserves, not only from Ukraine but also from Russia. But sooner or later, the Russians will run out of all the best soldiers. This will give us an impetus to attack more and faster,” Tarnavskiy said. “Everything is ahead of us.” Under Tarnavskiy’s command, Ukraine troops liberated the sout hern city of Kherson last year. He admitted difficult losses for Kyiv. “The closer to victory, the harder it is. Because, unfortunately, we’re losing the strongest and best. So now we have to concentrate on certain areas and finish the job.”