Geolocated footage shows Ukrainian armor battling deep into the center of the hotly contested settlement of Robotyne as the counteroffensive grinds forward. Drone imagery shows Ukrainian tanks and IFVs firing into dwellings suspected of holding Russian troops while Russian artillery pounds the area.

The Ukrainian advance has been acknowledged by both Russian and Ukrainian media outlets, but so far neither side has claimed as to whether Ukraine has fully taken the village.

Should Ukraine gain complete control, the Russians will be forced to fall back to Novoprokopivka, and take up new defensive positions. As Ukraine grinds forward, they are able to bring artillery support ahead as well and will be able to target new points of Russian supply and logistics.

There seems to be a misunderstanding among media consumers regarding the Russian "First Line of Defense" that Ukraine has yet to reach in most areas. Those lines of defense are likely to not be manned by many, if any, Russian troops at the current time. The battered Russian troops that are retreating from Robotyne will be the ones taking up those defensive lines, and it is imperative for the Russians that they are able to fall back intact to avoid a total collapse in the Russian line.

About the Author

Will Killmore

Will Killmore is a US Army combat infantry veteran and Purple Heart recipient. He has deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with the 172nd Stryker Brigade and 173rd Airborne Brigade. Following his time in service, he successfully pursued a certificate of journalism and has been a blogger for Funker530 since 2014. Follow Will’s bad takes on Twitter