The Ukrainian military has probably made a significant tactical breach along Russia's multi-layered defense on the southern frontline, beyond the village of Robotyne, a Saturday report from the United States think tank Institute for the Study of War said.
The Ukrainian army's offensive has been widening a gap in the frontline for several weeks, the report notes, clarifications that with heavy armor and vehicles.
Ukrainian officials said the series of Russian defensive positions ahead of the Ukrainian advance may be less challenging than the initial Russian defensive layer that Ukrainian forces broke through to the north.
The Ukrainian government announced in late September that it has seized control of the village of Robotyne.
This recent victory comes after a week of notable military actions by Ukraine.
On Thursday, a video emerged that appeared to show Ukrainian soldiers entering and liberating the village of Andriivka, near Bakhmut.
According to Reuters, Ukraine's third Assault Brigade took part in the push.
Russia denies Ukraine's advances, saying Ukraine was 'unsuccessfully trying to oust Russian troops from the population centers of Klishchiivka and Andriivka'.
But ISW's Saturday report, however, states that geolocated footage posted on September 15 confirms that Ukrainian forces have advanced in the Bakhmut area, not only around Adriivka but also the nearby villages of Rozdolivka and Klishchiivka.
Ukraine said strikes on land and sea were a result of a determined strike by the country.
Also on Thursday, an attack in Crimea destroyed Russia's advanced S-400 air defense system, which is worth more than $500 million, using modified Neptune naval cruise missiles.
This may signal Russia's air defences in Crimea have'systemic tactical failures' and that Russian forces were 'unprepared to intercept missiles with the system' or were unable to do so, ISW said. It was the second strike to obliterate the S-400 in Crimea in a few weeks.
On Friday, Ukraine hit and damaged a Russian missile ship off the coast of Crimea. Ukrainian forces told Reuters and Ukrainian media that an experimental sea drone called Sea Baby was used as part of this attack.
Russia's defense ministry denied any damage and said the attack was repelled and the drone was destroyed.
Ukraine also claimed that its marine drones had struck at lease on two Russian corvettes in the Black Sea, according to the newspaper Ukrainska Pravda, per ISW.
Earlier in the week, a major Ukrainian strike, using missiles and marine drones, on a Crimean naval base likely dealt a serious blow to the operations of Putin's Black Sea fleet, according to UK intelligence.
Ukrainian forces launched an attack on Russia's Black Sea Fleet base in Sevastopol on Wednesday, striking a sub and a landing ship, according to the UK's Ministry of Defence.
The UK MoD said the two ships - identified as the landing ship Minsk and the Kilo 636.3 class submarine Rostov-on-Don - were hit while undergoing repairs in dry docks at the Sevmorzadov shipyard.
The attack also put the dried docks vital for retaining the Black Sea fleet out of action for the foreseeable future.
On Saturday, a NATO admiral told the military alliance that history books will show Ukraine has transformed modern warfare. And they are moving forward every day.