Small Russian infantry groups have stepped up assault operations in Ukraine's south over the past two weeks as they look to improve Moscow's battlefield positions, a spokesperson for the military told Ukrinform on March 12.
Thirty-five attacks have been recorded in the area today so far, with Russian forces pushing on the Huliaipole and Orikhiv sectors in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, said Vladyslav Voloshyn, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian military's Southern Command.
"This is not an offensive or part of the enemy's strategic actions, but tactical attempts to improve their position relative to the combat line," Voloshyn said.
Russia has also intensified artillery shelling and air and missile strikes on Ukraine's Tavria group of forces, which covers Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, Voloshyn said.
Voloshyn's statement come amid Russia's breakthrough in embattled Kursk Oblast. Multiple Ukrainian and Russian sources claimed on March 12 that Russian troops had entered Sudzha, a key Ukrainian-held stronghold in the Russian border region of Kursk.
Previously, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine's offensive into Kursk Oblast prevented Russian forces from carrying out large-scale operations in northeastern and southern Ukraine.
Parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts have been occupied by Russian forces since the full-scale invasion of 2022. The regions remain a regular target of Russian aerial attacks.
The Ukrainian military warned in fall 2024 that Russian forces were amassing in Zaporizhzhia Oblast in preparation for a southern offensive. Heavy fortifications were constructed around the regional capital of Zaporizhzhia ahead of the possible renewed push.
Andrea Januta
