NYT: Melitopol could be the next war front
Liberation temporarily occupied Melitopol, Zaporozhye region, may become the next important stage in the de-occupation of southern Ukraine. This is reported by The New York Times.
«Ukraine is stepping up efforts to isolate and weaken Russian forces in and around the strategic city of Melitopol ahead of what is expected to be the next major stage of the war – the Ukrainian offensive in order to oust Russian troops from the south of Ukraine», — the article says.
The publication notes that Ukrainian defenders are using long-range precision missile strikes and sabotage to take control of Melitopol. The city is strategically important, as it is located at the crossroads of two highways and a railway line connecting Russia with the occupied Crimea and other occupied territories in southern Ukraine.
Thus, the liberation of Melitopol will help Ukrainian fighters regain control not only the entire Zaporozhye region, but also the rest of the neighboring Kherson region. In the future, this will help push the Russian occupying forces into the territory of Crimea.
