MELITOPOL, August 16. /TASS/. Two airmobile battalions of Ukraine’s Armed Forces numbering some 500 troops refuse to go on an offensive at the line of engagement near Zaporozhye, the Zaporozhye Region’s Acting Governor Yevgeny Balitsky said on his Telegram channel on Wednesday.
"I have just received information that two out of three Ukrainian airmobile battalions refused to advance toward our positions due to the low morale. These include some 500 troops," Balitsky said in his post.
According to Balitsky, Ukraine’s armed forces lost over 130 troops at the line of engagement in the Zaporozhye area last night. Ukrainian troops fail to reach even the first line of Russian positions, he said.
The Russian Defense Ministry has reported that the Ukrainian army has been making unsuccessful attempts at an offensive since June 4. According to it, in the past two months, Ukraine’s losses have exceeded 43,000 troops and around 5,000 weapons, including 26 aircraft and 25 Leopard tanks. Russian President Vladimir Putin has stressed that Ukrainian troops have failed to achieve any success in any of the frontline areas.