Russians panic that Ukraine's Armed Forces are closing in on them on another front

Russian occupiers have reported that Ukraine’s Armed Forces have launched an offensive near the settlements of Novodonetske and Novomaiorske in the west of Donetsk Oblast, claiming that Ukrainian forces are trying to break through to enter Novodonetske, although Ukrainian top military officials have not confirmed this information yet.

Source: Russian collaborator Oleksandr Khodakovskyi, a former officer of Ukraine’s Security Service, and the deputy chief of the so-called Russian National Guard in Donetsk People’s Republic

Quote: "The enemy [Ukrainian army – ed.] started offensive actions on the Novodonetske – Novomaiorske section after several days of artillery training. The highest activity is seen near the village of Novodonetske, [Ukrainian forces] are trying to break through using a large number of armoured combat vehicles."

Details: Khodakovskyi confirmed that Ukrainian fighters have been firing a large number of shells on Russian positions "almost 24/7" for several days.

Khodakovskyi said "in addition to the psychological impact on the soldiers, such intensive artillery fire led to the fact that minefields lost their effectiveness, and the constant artillery fire did not allow bomb experts to lay new mines and restore everything they destroyed."

Khodakovskyi reported on Telegram that as a result of such actions, Ukrainian defenders were able to approach the Russian positions "at close range, with nearly no losses". They set down their troops, then pulled their equipment back after targeting the Russian fortifications with direct fire, fearing an artillery response.

"Now a fierce battle is ongoing on the approaches to Novodonetske. At the same time, the enemy [the Ukrainians - ed.] is trying to move towards Novomaiorske, using similar tactics," Khodakovskyi wrote on the morning of 5 September.

The Ukrainian military involved in the battles on that part of the front refused to comment on any Russian information. Their command maintains silence as always.

As of now, Ukraine’s Defence Forces on the southern front line have advanced a little further west, near Staromaiorske and Urozhaine in Donetsk Oblast, and much further west, near Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Advances in these areas are likely to open the way to Mariupol in Donetsk Oblast, as well as to Berdiansk and Melitopol in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

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