Ukraine claimed Monday its forces had liberated Robotyne, a key town in the southeastern front that Kyiv has tried to fully seize for months.
Holding the town could give Ukraine the momentum it needs to push deeper into the Zaporizhzhia region as its forces inch toward their main objective of crossing through thick Russian lines toward the Sea of Azov.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Telegram that Russian troops were struggling against Ukraine's advance in Robotyne and described Ukrainian forces as entrenched in the liberated area.
Ukraine's Defense Ministry said the flag was raised over Robotyne five days ago but the capture of the town was confirmed Monday.
The ministry also shared a video on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, apparently commemorating the victory. The video shows Ukrainian soldiers from the 47th Mechanized Brigade discussing the operation to take the town and its importance to the overall counteroffensive.
"Because we only have one Ukraine and we must do absolutely everything to keep it whole and great," one soldier with callsign RAM said in the video.
Russian sources are claiming the fighting is ongoing in Robotyne and there has been no breakthrough past the town and toward other areas. Russia's Defense Ministry said Monday that its forces repelled attacks around Robotyne.
Ukraine's Maliar also claimed Ukrainian troops were advancing toward the town of Tokmak, which is south of Robotyne and much deeper into Russian-occupied territory.
Taking Tokmak would be a major step toward taking the city of Melitopol — a waypoint near the Sea of Azov.
If Ukrainian forces can hold Melitopol and reach the coast just past the city — or take the city of Berdiansk to the northeast — they would effectively cut off the so-called land bridge connecting Russia to the Crimea Peninsula, severing a crucial supply route.
Ukraine has has faced heavy difficulties in that objective from entrenched Russian lines since it launched its slow-moving counteroffensive in early June.
But military analysts say Ukraine can still achieve a breakthrough that would begin a faster-paced counteroffensive movement once Kyiv blasts through Russia's main lines.
It's unclear if liberating Robotyne would mark that kind of breakthrough, but analysts with the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in an assessment this week that the "next series" of Russian defensive lines are potentially less heavily mined, likely to give Russian troops the ability to retreat.
But the next defensive layers may still be heavily defended, ISW analysts said. They said the layers appear to contain an array of anti-tank ditches and dragon’s teeth anti-tank systems.
Russia is also conducting a counteroffensive of its own in the directions of Kupyansk and Lyman, in the Kharkiv and Luhansk regions up north.
"As Ukraine continues to gradually gain ground in the south, Russia’s doctrine suggests that it will attempt to regain the initiative by pivoting back to an operational level offensive," the U.K. Defense Ministry said in an intelligence update over the weekend. "Kupiansk-Lyman is one potential area for this."
In another ongoing operation, Ukraine has also liberated about 17 square miles around the embattled town of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region.