Russia has set deadline to capture Orikhiv by end of October, but is unable to gain foothold in town, - ’South’ Operational Command
Russian occupation forces have been ordered to advance to the outskirts of Orikhiv, Preobrazhenka and Tavriiske in the Zaporizhzhia region by the end of this month. However, the invaders have not managed to gain a foothold in Orikhiv, and reports from the Russian command regarding alleged advances and the ‘cleansing’ of the town are yet another piece of disinformation.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported to Ukrinform by Anastasiia Shevchenko, deputy spokesperson for the ‘South’ OC.
What is the situation in Orikhiv?
"According to the information available, the Russian command has set the objective 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 said.
According to Shevchenko, the Russians are attempting to infiltrate Orikhiv in small groups – up to two people at most – but are failing to gain a foothold in the town. These are individual soldiers or groups of two who are trying to enter the town unnoticed. They then attempt to build up their numbers and create the conditions for further advances.
"However, they (the occupiers – Ed.) are unable to do so, as units of the ‘South’ military group are able to detect them in good time, track their movements and strike them both in the suburbs and within the city itself," explained the deputy spokesperson.
At the same time, she reported that the Russian military are informing their high command that they have allegedly cleared 50 per cent of Orikhiv of Ukrainian troops. In particular, they claim to have cleared 2,800 houses and that there are currently more than 150 Russian servicemen in the town.
"These are false reports. This is evidenced, in particular, by the Russian shelling of the town. On the evening of 16 October alone, the Russians dropped 16 guided bombs on the town. You only need to think critically to realise that if the information provided by the Russians regarding their control of Orikhiv were true, they would not have used such a large number of aircraft against the town," Shevchenko emphasised.
What is the situation in Preobrazhenka?
The deputy spokesperson also added that, according to the Ukrainian side, a similar situation is being observed in Preobrazhenka. Russian military personnel reported to their high command that they had cleared 754 houses in this settlement and that 56 Russian military personnel are 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 neutralising them. The enemy is unable to concentrate its forces there, advance or achieve any tactical success whatsoever," she asserts.
Shevchenko concluded that, since the beginning of October alone, units of the ‘South’ military group had eliminated 2,760 occupiers and 1,150 pieces of weaponry and military equipment.
