After a string of recent battlefield gains on the eastern front, Moscow claims its forces are now making headway in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.
On Jan. 22, the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces were consolidating their positions after a fresh offensive across the Zaporizhzhia frontline, which has remained largely static for the past several months.
Days earlier, pro-Russian officials claimed that Russian forces had taken “operational control” over four settlements near Zaporizhzia’s city of Orikhiv.
Ukrainian officials, for their part, say the Russian claims are exaggerated. Ukrainian service members observe an area at a position near a frontline, in Zaporizhzhia Region, Ukraine, on Aug.18, 2022. (Dmytro Smolienko/Reuters)
Most of Zaporizhzhia was captured in the opening weeks of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which began 11 months ago….