MELITOPOL, August 18. /TASS/. Russian forces are wiping out the Ukrainian army’s most highly trained units equipped with Western hardware at the first line of defense near the village of Rabotino in the Zaporozhye area of the line of engagement, Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the We Are Together With Russia movement, told TASS.
On Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry disclosed that Russian units had deflected two enemy attacks in the vicinity of Rabotino with Ukrainian losses amounting to as many as 195 troops.
"The adversary tried to gain a foothold on Rabotino’s northern outskirts, super-intense active combat was underway, the enemy was shelled with artillery and mortar fire, shootouts erupted. They were eliminated during the night and the survivors were pushed out of Rabotino. Active combat resumed today in the early morning. The Ukrainian army’s elite units from the 10th Army Corps are fighting, the much-touted units are simply being wiped out at our first line of defense," Rogov said.
He added that, in the vicinity of Rabotino, US-made Stryker armored personnel carriers (APCs) used by the 46th and 82nd Ukrainian brigades are being actively engaged for the first time.
On August 16, Forbes magazine journalist David Axe reported that the Ukrainian command had sent its last major reserve unit, the 82nd air assault brigade, into the fray near Rabotino.
The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier that the Ukrainian armed forces had been making unsuccessful attempts at a counteroffensive since June 4. According to the military agency, over two months, Ukraine has lost more than 43,000 troops and about 5,000 units of various armaments, including 26 aircraft and 25 Leopard tanks. Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that the Ukrainian military had failed to achieve any success at all in any area.