 Ukrainian mine clearers are becoming the main force in breakthrough of Russian defence. Brave Ukrainian bomb disposal experts became the key to the breakthrough near Robotyn-Zaporizia-Oblas during the counter-offensive. They almost crawling, cleared passageways through minefields for military equipment, and together with the infantry cleared Russian trenches and captured buildings. The Times media outlet wrote this. The Times, which talked to the mine clearers and other soldiers, wrote about the heroism of the bomb disposal experts of the 47th Mechanised Brigade who cleared the fields near Robotyn. The media says that in June, when the counter-offensive of the Ukrainian army began, the main hopes were placed on armoured brigades which were trained in Germany and were equipped with Western Bradley, Leopard and Challenger 2 tanks. However, three months later, the stars of the battle are not tank commanders but sappers. Ukrainian units penetrated a little more than 8 miles or about 13 kilometres in 14 weeks of fighting and it is the slow work of sappers that determines the pace of the offensive. The soldiers move no faster than they can walk with their British supplied valent mine detectors. They are grubbing around on their knees with hand-held probes to clear lanes through minefields, often under fire so that Ukrainian vehicles can pass to the next objective or else running in with storm units on foot to clear positions of booby traps. Mid-action, the Times said. The report, published by Britain's Royal United Services Institute, said minefields along Russia's Sorovkin line had been widened from the usual depth of 120 metres to 500 metres.