Russia plans to capture Orikhiv by the end of October

The Russian command has set the goal of capturing Orikhiv, Preobrazhenka, and Tavriiske in the Zaporizhzhia region by the end of October. At the same time, according to the Defense Forces, Russian troops have been unable to gain a foothold in Orikhiv, and their claims of having allegedly cleared the city of Ukrainian defenders are untrue.

 

Anastasia Shevchenko, deputy spokesperson for the “South” Military Group, shared this information in a comment to a Ukrinform correspondent.

“According to available information, the Russian command has set the goal of capturing Orikhiv, Preobrazhenka, and Tavriiske by the end of October. However, our units are successfully thwarting the Russians’ plans. The enemy is suffering significant losses here,” she noted.

According to Shevchenko, the Russians are attempting to infiltrate Orikhiv in small groups—up to two people at a time—but they are unable to gain a foothold in the city. These are individual soldiers or groups of two who are trying to enter the city unnoticed. They then attempt to regroup and create conditions for further advancement.

“However, they (the occupiers—ed.) are not succeeding, as units of the ‘South’ military group detect them in a timely manner, track their movements, and strike them both in the suburbs and directly within the city limits,” the deputy spokesperson explained.

At the same time, she reported that Russian military personnel are informing their high command that they have allegedly cleared 50% of Orikhiv of Ukrainian troops. Specifically, they claim to have cleared 2,800 buildings and that there are currently more than 150 Russian servicemen in the city.

“These are false reports. This is evidenced, in particular, by the Russian shelling of the town. Just yesterday evening, October 16, the Russians dropped 16 guided bombs on the town. It doesn’t take much critical thinking to understand that if the information provided by the Russians regarding their control over Orikhiv were true, they wouldn’t be using such a large number of airstrikes against the city,” Shevchenko emphasized.

The deputy spokesperson also added that, according to the Ukrainian side, a similar situation is unfolding in Preobrazhenka. Russian military officials reported to their high command that they had “cleared” 754 buildings in this town and that 56 Russian soldiers were stationed there.

“This information is also false. The enemy greatly exaggerates its ‘achievements,’ forces, and resources. Infiltration groups are indeed attempting to make their way into Orikhiv and Preobrazhenka, but our units are successfully detecting and neutralizing them. The enemy is unable to concentrate its forces there, advance, or achieve any tactical success,” she asserts.

Shevchenko concluded that since the beginning of October alone, units of the “South” military group have eliminated 2,760 occupiers and 1,150 pieces of weaponry and military equipment.

Source: Ukrinform

As a reminder, throughout the day on October 16, Russia attacked Ukraine with more than 300 strike drones of various types, including jet-powered drones, as well as 15 S-8000 “Banderol/Dan-T” missiles. 

Russian troops attacked Dnipro on the evening of October 16. A fire broke out in the suburbs, and a man was killed as a result of the strike. 

On the evening of October 16, Russian terrorist forces attacked the main power grid in the Rivne region. As a result, a large number of people in Rivne and the surrounding region lost power.