MELITOPOL, May 3. /TASS/. The Ukrainian forces, which attempted to conduct reconnaissance in force in the Orekhov area in the Zaporozhye Region on Wednesday evening, have retreated suffering losses, Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the ‘We Are Together with Russia’ movement, told TASS.
"The hostilities in this area along the contact line are over. The Ukrainian units have retreated to lick their wounds," Rogov said, without specifying the number of Ukrainian losses.
"It was reconnaissance in force, but we have to understand that any reconnaissance in force can evolve into a breakthrough, and then into a full-scale offensive. There is a thin line here, depending on how successful and lucky the probe of the defenses is," he added.
Ukraine’s military has lost about 30 men, one tank and two armored personnel carriers during reconnaissance in force in the Orekhov area in the Zaporozhye region, Vladimir Rogov said.
"According to preliminary information, the Nazis’ losses in abortive reconnaissance in force were at least one tank, two armored personnel carriers and about 30 fighters of the Ukrainian armed forces," he wrote on his Telegram channel.
On Wednesday evening, Rogov told TASS that the Ukrainian armed forces had launched an attack, involving armored vehicles, near Orekhov. According to preliminary reports, Russia forces wiped out at least one tank and one armored personnel carrier of the enemy. Rogov wrote on his Telegram channel that the Ukrainian attack was launched after "heavy artillery preparation."
Rogov told TASS earlier that by April 30, the Ukrainian army command had redeployed the 46th airborne assault brigade, as well as the 116th and 118th territorial defense brigades to the Zaporozhye area, so as to augment the 12,000 fighters already on the line of engagement near Gulyaypole and Orekhov. According to Rogov, should an offensive be launched in this area, Ukrainian units would avoid urban combat due to the shortage of personnel and would likely attempt to execute a dash to the Sea of Azov, east of Melitopol, in a bid to cut Russia’s land bridge to Crimea.