A group of 31 fighters secured the liberation of Rabotino - Kuleba

This was stated in a speech by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba at a conference of French ambassadors.

Kuleba noted that right now the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to advance during the counter-offensive.

A few days ago we broke through the Russian defence on one of the most difficult sections of the front and liberated the strategically important settlement of Robotino," Kuleba said.

Kuleba said that a combined group of 31 fighters was created, a third of whom had no combat experience, but all of whom had the knowledge and will to win.

For 18 hours they crawled literally on their bellies through kilometres of minefields, where the Russians had placed six mines per square metre. Finally, the unit reached the strip of trees that separates the farmer's fields <...> So our unit knocked the Russians out of there and held that position for two days until reinforcements arrived," Kuleba said.

Afterwards, the group walked another 10 kilometres with backpacks weighing 35-40 kilograms through the minefields. In 40 days, this unit conducted six assaults and two reconnaissance missions.

A group of 31 men did the work of an entire battalion, which would have had to consist of somewhere around 400 men. Losses totalled 7 wounded, of which only one was a heavy one who stepped on a mine," Kuleba said.

Kuleba emphasised that the work of this group actually made it possible for the whole brigade to advance on Rabotino and liberate it after weeks of assaults. Once secured on its flanks, the way to Tokmak, Melitopol and the border with Crimea is open.