Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Oct. 14 that its forces had captured the village of Levadne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast amid ongoing hostilities in the sector.
The statement came after Kyiv's warnings of a potential Russian push in the southern Zaporizhzhia Oblast just as Moscow's troops continue advancing in Ukraine's east. According to reports, Russian troops renewed attacks in the Zaporizhzhia sector in recent days.
Vladyslav Voloshyn, the Southern Defense Forces spokesperson, refuted in a comment for the Kyiv Independent that Russia had launched a major offensive in the sector, saying that Russia is only carrying out local ground assaults.
When asked about the alleged seizure of Levadne, Voloshyn said that the situation "is developing quite dynamically" and that each side can regain the initiative.
The crowd-sourced monitoring group DeepState shows Levadne in Ukrainian hands as of Oct. 13, 2024.
Levadne is located west of the village of Velyka Novosilka, some 170 kilometers (105 miles) from the city of Zaporizhzhia.
In recent weeks, Russian troops have intensified attacks against Zaporizhzhia, targeting its civilian infrastructure with guided aerial bombs.
Voloshyn warned that Moscow is "amassing personnel" in Zaporizhzhia Oblast on Sept. 28. The spokesperson said then that Russia is readying a new maneuver near the occupied village of Pryiutne close to Levadne but added that a full-blown offensive would require larger numbers.
On Oct. 5, Voloshyn said that Russian forces are massing for a breakthrough in the direction of Orikhiv and Mala Tokmachka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The area was the main axis of Ukraine's southern counteroffensive in 2023, which led to the liberation of the settlement of Robotyne but achieved no major breakthrough.
Sonya Vseliubska
