Ukraine liberates village in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian forces claim.

Ukrainian forces took control of the village of Piatykhatky in the southeastern[1] Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russia's local occupation administration claimed on June 18, as Kyiv continues to take the initiative[2] on the battlefield. The Ukrainian authorities have not yet confirmed the recapture of the village located between the Ukrainian-controlled town of Orikhiv and the occupied town of Vasylivka. Vladimir Rogov, a Russian proxy official in occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, said in a Telegram post that if Ukrainian forces are able to pull up its reserves to the newly-captured Piatykhatky, they will likely push further westward along the ?0812 road - to capture the nearby village of Zherebianky.

Rogov admitted that Ukraine's potential capture of Zherebianky would allow it to obtain staging grounds for an offensive on Vasylivka, occupied by Russian forces since March 2022. The fighting continues in the western part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, according to Rogov.

Ukraine makes gains 1 week into counteroffensive but decisive battle yet to begin Ukraine's large-scale counteroffensive, anticipated for months, spearheaded by new Western tanks and armored vehicles, has finally begun.

No longer limited to shaping operations or localized counterattacks, evidence shows the beginning of major Ukrainian offensive pushes to break through fortified...

The Russian occupation administration's report of a Ukrainian success in the country's southeast comes about two weeks into the Ukrainian counteroffensive, which kicked off in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and the southern part of Donetsk Oblast earlier in June. Ukraine has already recaptured a number of villages, including Blahodatne, located not far from Vuhledar. Without naming the settlements, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a D.C.-based think-tank analyzing the war in Ukraine, said[4] in its June 17 report that Ukrainian forces are conducting counteroffensive operations southwest of Orikhiv in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast.  

This Week in Ukraine Ep.

12 - Ukraine's counteroffensive finally began. What's next? Episode #12 of our weekly video podcast "This Week in Ukraine" is dedicated to the beginning of Ukraine's much-awaited counteroffensive, its early results, and what to expect in the weeks to come.

Host Anastasiia Lapatina is joined by the Kyiv Independent reporter Francis Farrell. Listen to the au...

Reporter

Asami Terajima is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a business reporter for the Kyiv Post focusing on international trade, infrastructure, investment and energy.

Originally from Japan, Terajima moved to Ukraine during childhood and completed her bachelor's degree in Missouri, U.S.A. She is the winner of the 2023 George Weidenfeld Prize, awarded for "excellent investigative and courageous research activities" as part of Germany's prestigious Axel Springer Prize.

References

1. ^ southeastern (goo.gl)
2. ^ take the initiative (kyivindependent.com)
3. ^ Ukraine makes gains 1 week into counteroffensive but decisive battle yet to beginUkraine's large-scale counteroffensive, anticipated for months, spearheaded by new Western tanks and armored vehicles, has finally begun. No longer limited to shaping operations or localized counterattacks, evidence shows the beginning of major Ukrainian offensive pushes to break through fortified... (kyivindependent.com)
4. ^ said (www.understandingwar.org)
5. ^ This Week in Ukraine Ep.

   12 - Ukraine's counteroffensive finally began. What's next?Episode #12 of our weekly video podcast "This Week in Ukraine" is dedicated to the beginning of Ukraine's much-awaited counteroffensive, its early results, and what to expect in the weeks to come. Host Anastasiia Lapatina is joined by the Kyiv Independent reporter Francis Farrell.

   Listen to the au... (kyivindependent.com)