US intelligence believes Ukraine won't reach the key city of Melitopol, The Washington Post reported.
Retaking the city is a landmark goal for Ukraine's counteroffensive.
Reaching and even retaking Crimea is a hallowed objective in Ukraine's counteroffensive, with the peninsula under Russian occupation since 2014.
Ukrainian troops are trying to push through these deadly lines from the town of Robotyne, 50 miles to the north, per The Washington Post.
Ukraine has switched to pummelling the Russian lines with artillery fire, before painstakingly attempting to move forward with infantry and sappers.
Persons:
Ukraine's, recriminations, Patrick Bury, Bury, Melitopol, Oleksiy Danilov
Organizations:
The Washington Post, Ukraine's, Service, Washington Post, Post, Democrats, UK's Bath University, Russia, Dnipro, Bradley
Locations:
Ukraine, Melitopol, The, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Azov, Dnipro, Crimea, Kerch, Robotyne