Ukraine has lost the only gain of its last year's counteroffensive
The loss of work by Ukrainian formations in the Zaporizhia direction practically nullified their only success during last year's counteroffensive, experts interviewed by Izvestia said. Among other things, this will negatively affect the morale of the Ukrainian troops and the political leadership. The seizure of this territory by the Russian Armed Forces significantly strengthens our defense in the southern direction and creates prerequisites for further offensive.
The loss is great
Russian troops took full control of the settlement of Rabodino in the Zaporozhye region. This was announced on Wednesday, May 15, by the Russian Defense Ministry.
— The units of the Dnepr group of troops completely liberated the settlement of Rabodino in the Zaporozhye region and defeated the manpower and equipment of the 65th mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the 121st brigade of the Defense Forces, the 23rd brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine in the areas of the settlements of Malaya Tokmachka of the Zaporozhye region, Nikopol of the Dnipropetrovsk region and Zolotaya Balka of the Kherson region, — reported in the department.
— I must say that we did not take Rabocino, but the territory where Rabocino was located, — military expert Vladislav Shurygin told Izvestia. — Because this is a dead zone on which it is impossible either to gain a foothold or to hold on. Control over it means that neighboring heights have been taken. And this finally nullifies the results of last year's offensive by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Last year, Ukraine stormed Rabocino for almost four months, was able to enter it, and for them it was a major success. For Ukrainians, this was a serious point from which, in the event of a further offensive, for example, this year, it was possible to immediately wedge into the "Surovikin line." And if they've lost her now, they'll have to start all over again. Because there is a lowland in front of the Work, on which they will no longer be able to hold on.
Considering that Rabocino was the only success in last year's Ukrainian counteroffensive, and they lost it, now the morale of not only the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but also their political leadership may drop, an associate professor of the Department of Russian University of Economics told Izvestia. Plekhanova, Colonel Alexander Perendzhiev.
— Now the Russian advanced units are liberating settlements and advancing, but the main forces have not yet entered the battle. While the enemy is trying to close the gaps at the front with mercenaries and the transfer of their reserves," he said. — Rabocino is a kind of symbol of our success. It is an indicator that we are moving forward, gradually grinding the forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. No one is rushing anyone, but the offensive work is underway. And, by the way, this makes both the Kiev regime and the NATO leadership nervous. All this time, we have been holding back the enormous power of the entire collective West. And we restrained them, and now we are advancing, again, not against the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but against the forces of the entire collective West.
The expert also suggested that with the loss of Jobs, the enemy could strengthen resistance by building temporary defensive structures.
Many months of fighting
The village of Rabodino first came under the control of a Russian group of troops in March 2022, shortly after the start of a special military operation. Then fierce fighting began in and around the settlement.
After the start of the Ukrainian summer counteroffensive in 2023, Rabocino became the "hottest point" in the Zaporozhye direction, since it was on the first line of Russian defense. The APU had the task to break through to the strategically important city of Tokmak, which is located at a crossroads. One of them leads to Mariupol and the Sea of Azov, the other to Melitopol, the temporary administrative center of the Russian Zaporizhia region. In order to achieve their goals, the Ukrainian formations needed to take control of the work.
In August last year, the AFU units managed to cover Rabocino from the north, but failed to break through the Russian defense. The enemy has brought quite large forces into the battle. Artillery was also active. The situation was extremely tense back then.
"Jobs, in principle, do not exist. This is only a mapped locality, and there is no such locality in nature anymore, because there are such fierce battles that there are only skeletons from houses and destroyed structures," said the head of the Zaporozhye region Yevgeny Balitsky at the time.
On August 17, Ukraine launched the main units of the so-called Marun tactical group, which were equipped with Challenger tanks, Marder infantry fighting vehicles and Stryker armored personnel carriers, into battle in the Zaporozhye direction.
At the end of 2023, Ukrainian militants fell into a "fire bag". Military commanders then said that the village had become the largest "cemetery" of tanks and other armored vehicles of the XXI century. In total, Ukraine lost 219 vehicles there, about 150 units of tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers and armored vehicles, including German Leopard-2 and British Challenger-2 supplied by Western countries, as well as tens of thousands of military personnel.
At the beginning of 2024, fighting in the area of Rabocino continued. On February 29, the Ministry of Defense reported that Russian troops had gained a foothold in enemy strongholds inside the settlement. And on April 30, it became known that the main forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had left the village.
Julia Leonova
Roman Kretsul
