MELITOPOL, April 19. /TASS/. Russian forces repelled two Ukrainian attempts to attack in the Zaporozhye Region’s Orekhov over the past night, Vladimir Rogov, leader of the We Are Together With Russia movement, reported on Wednesday.

"At first, on the Zaporozhye front, between Kamensky and Orekhov, a group of Ukrainian fighters without the support of equipment tried to conduct reconnaissance in force of our defense line in the zone of responsibility of the 291st [artillery] brigade. It was met with retaliatory fire, and the rest of the Nazis returned to their positions," he said during a Soloviev Live TV broadcast.

According to him, in the second case, the enemy proceeded with equipment after artillery fire. "The Ukrainian armored group went further east than the first time. There is was met not only by the 291st [artillery] brigade, but also by special forces, reconnaissance, and tanks. Now they are estimating their losses - it was dark at the time," the politician added. He pointed out that it was the Ukrainian armed forces’ units formed in Western Ukraine that took part in the fighting.

On Tuesday, Rogov told TASS that the Ukrainian forces may begin active combat operations on the engagement line in the Kherson Region within a week. According to his assessment, in case of a counterattack, Ukrainian units would try to evade battles and try to break through to the Sea of Azov east of Melitopol in order to cut a land corridor to Crimea. In the end of March, Rogov told TASS that the Ukrainian forces summoned up to 75,000 people to the Zaporozhye front after the attempt to counterattack on March 23, which was thwarted by the Russian forces who destroyed up to 400 servicemen.