Combat has reached just to the east of Robotyne, where Ukrainian troops are attempting to secure some forests, which would provide them with cover as they seek to push into and secure Robotyne itself. It seems as if just about the entire Zaporizhzhia front (except for Pryyutne, which is, technically, in the oblast) has focused in on Robotyne in recent days, highlighting its importance as a lynchpin in Russias first major defensive line, as well as Ukrainian failures thus far to genuinely crack Russian lines elsewhere, such as at Zherebyanky. Perhaps in a recognition of their struggles, Ukraine (at least for today) launched a large number of deep strikes throughout the oblast, as well as into the iccupied portions of Kherson oblast.
By far the most notable strike hit the port city of Berdiansk. Russian sources confirmed that lieutenant general Oleg Tsokov was killed there in a Storm Shadow hit, making him the highest ranking casualty that Russia has suffered from in the war. He was a deputy commander of Russia's southern military district and was reportedly viewed as competent; it's fairly rare for the Russisn milblogger community to praise one od their own generals in this way, as many of the milbloggers have a divergent perspective on gow the war should be waged. His death has the potential to seriously shake up Russia's ability yo organize a new defense should Ukraine score a breakthrough in Zaporizhzhia oblast, though that is far from certain.
In Kherson oblast, the situation is worsening for Russia. Per a claim by Russian milblogger Rybar, Russia destroyed their own portion of thr Antonovskiy bridge to prevent Ukrainian troops from reaching Oleshky. Videos show a fierce artillery bombardment of Ukraine's bridgehead, but the areas targeted are notably wider than they had been in the past. With Ukraine decuring additional territory, they will need to hide less under thr Antonovskiy bridge, enabling them to possibly infiltrate Russia's lines, as well as bring over more troops and equipment with a smaller risk of Russian artillery hitting any reinforcements or supplies, as they are now focusing on a larger area. A number of sources have also confirmed that Ukraine has a beachhead on the south side of the Konka river, one of the minor rivers of thr Dnipro river delta. Ukrainain troops have already operated here previously, such as when they ambushed and demolished a group of Russian river boats over a week ago. However, there was never any clarification if Ukraine had actually taken the territory or merely had sent a raiding party. Now it seems like a sure thing that Ukraine has in fact established a permanent presence in the area. While they are technically on an island, at points the gap between the island and the mainland where Oleshky is located is under twenty feet; quite traversable by a number of Ukrainian land vehicles. Ukraine has thus far shown no interest in attacking Oleshky in such a manner, but there is a possibility that that will change, particularly if the situation around thr Antonovskiy bridge continues to deteriorate for Russia.
The situation along the Mokri Yaly river valley is growing worse for Russia as well. Ukrainian troops have entered northern Staromaiorske, and fighting continues to be intense just north of Pryyutne. This will be a major test of Russia's ability to maintain their defensive line here. If Ukraine is able to break through, the logistical node of Staromlynivka will be in reach for Ukrainian troops. Located on the south side of the river, and close to Russia's first major defensive line, it would provide Ukraine with a convenient launching pad to directly assault the line. A town such as Staromlynivka to provide cover and logistical support is something that is missing for Ukraine at Robotyne; the nearest is Orikhiv. Admittedly much larger, it is also some ways more distant from Russia's defensive line than Staromlynivka, mesning Ukrainian troops have needed to de-mine and capture more territory than they would nerd to in the Staromlynivka area.
In the Bakhmut region, reporting had been contradictory, with both sides claiming advances around Klishchiivka and Berkhivka. For now, the situation in both regions is unclear, and we will simply have to wait for footage to emerge. However, Ukraine has widened their wedge tk the north of Soledar. Initially their push was straight towards Soledar, running to the west of Yakovlivka. Ukraine has pushed further to the west, further isolating Sakko i Vantsetti and Mykolaivka (the ine due east of Sakko i Vantsetti, Mykolaivka is an incredibly common place name in Ukraine).
The situation is also quite unclear to the north, where a number of sources reported that the Zherebets river town of Torske is contested. If true, it would mark a possible turning point in Russia's offensive in the region, as it woukd be a key first step to knocking Ukrainian troops back across the river. However, all of these claims qere seemingly sourced from each other or from a video published bt a Ukrainian unit showing shellinf taking place in Torske. With the lack of context, there was a lot of confusion of if this was Russian troops shelling the town, or Ukrainian forces shellinf advancing Russian units. The video was eventually taken down. With Ukraine not acknowledging an advance and there being no footage actually proving a Russian advance into the town took place, there's nothing directly proving that the town is contested, even though I think there's a high chance that it at least may have been. Russia is still trying to capture Novoselivske as well; Ukraine retains control over most of the tiny village, but Russian forces are pushing along the flanks.
By far the most notable events today involving Ukraine took place in Vilnius, Lithuania, as NATO's summit kicked off. Ukraine, unsurprisingly, formally was informed that the Membership Action Plan requirement for them to join NATO was being waived. However, NATO refused to commit to a firm timetable or set of conditions that would nerd to be met before Ukraine could join the alliance. Thr vague statement drew the wrath of Zelenskyy and other top Ukrainian officials, who reqursted a more clear timetable and specific steps that needed to be done in order for Ukraine to join the alliance once the war with Russia is settled. When a top US official was asked if NATO wss basically imposing a MAP under a different name on Ukraine, the question was sidestepped. The United States was according to the Washington Post quite annoyed with Zelenskyy for his remarks demanding clarity. In addition, Sweden has still not joined the alliance as the Hungarian and Turkish parliaments have yet to sign the ratification protocols, though both have pledged to do so. No precise timeline wss given for either country.
While the NATO summit was far from a united front, Ukraine did receive a large amount of pledged aid. France said that some of their previously pledged SCALP missiles (virtually identical to the British Storm Shadow missiles) had arrived in Ukraine, and more were on the way. Norway said that they had set aside close to a billion USD for the year for military aid to Ukraine. Norway also pledged a similar rate of support for both humanitarian and military assitance to Ukraine for the next five years. The EU is drawing up plans to further integrate Ukraine with its own defense industry. The flow of ammunition to Ukraine is to be worked on, intelligence sharing is to be bolstered, and the training of Ukrainian troops is to continue. The EU is also seeking to help cement ties between Kyiv and European defense companies. NATO will establish a "NATO-Ukraine Council", a format in which Ukraine is to be treated as an equal member. NATO also promised to help Ukraine's continued transition to NATO-standard weaponry and away from Soviet equipment.