General Tarnavskyi: Ukrainian Armed Forces break through Russian defences in Verbove, Zaporizhzhia region

The commander of the Tavria group of troops, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, said that the Defence Forces had broken through the Russian defences in Verbove, Zaporizhzhia region.

He said this in a commentary to CNN.

"We have a breakthrough on the left flank [near Verbove], and we continue to advance," Tarnavskyi says.

He adds that the main thing is not to lose the initiative that the Ukrainian army has now.

According to Tarnavsky, the Russians are currently relying on the depth of their defence line. The obstacles for the Ukrainian army are intersections, strips of trees and minefields between them.

He also says that there is a combination of small Russian defence groups that are currently positioned accurately and competently. But the actions of the Ukrainian military are forcing them to retreat slowly when they encounter assault units.

For a successful counter-offensive, Ukrainian troops need to reach at least the city of Tokmak. This is the minimum target

On September 23, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that the Defence Forces had repelled Russian attacks near Robotyno and Verbove in the Zaporizhzhia region.