SIMFEROPOL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st February, 2023) The first line of defense of the Russian army in the Zaporizhzhia region has been moved forward and is being put up within new combat positions, Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Zaporizhzhia regional administration's main council, has told Sputnik.
The Russian military began local offensive operations in the Zaporizhzhia region in January. Clashes take place almost along the entire front line, but the main battles take place near the cities of Orikhiv and Huliaipole. Some nine villages have been liberated or taken under the fire control of Russian troops.
"The army has consolidated its gains. Our first line of defense has been moved forward. It is now being put up, supplemented, and shaped within new combat positions taken," Rogov said.
Rogov said that the Russian army on the Zaporizhzhia front line achieved more in January than in several months prior to that, adding that "this shows positive dynamics and reinforces optimism."
Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, after the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian provocations. In response to Russia's operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow and have been supplying weapons to Ukraine.
On September 30 last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the heads of the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics, as well as Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, signed agreements on the accession of these territories to Russia, following referendums that showed that an overwhelming majority of the local population supported becoming part of Russia.
