The political intrigues surrounding the Kremlin these days, along with the nuclear threats at the Energodar Power Plant or Lukashenko’s statements, have completely overshadowed a war movement that could be decisive in the future of the war in Ukraine. While the whole world is looking at Moscow or Minsk, and the Ukrainian Defense spokeswoman herself emphasizes operations on the eastern front and, specifically, around the always mediatic Bakhmut; General Zaluzhnyi’s army is very close to achieving the unthinkable not so long ago: settle on the southern bank of the Dnieper River as it passes through Kherson.
Although we have known since this weekend – this was recognized by the Russian correspondents, since Ukraine has installed the law of silence regarding its operations – that some units had crossed the reconstructed Antonovsky bridge and had planted themselves in the marshes on the other side of the Dnieper, We had all accepted the version that it was an almost routine expedition, with no other claim than testing the ground for a future offensive in the medium or long term.
What we did not imagine is that they were already at the gates of the next bridge, the one that allows cross the konka river at the height of the E97 road. Some images published this Monday show a misplaced Russian tank that steps on a remotely exploded mine on said bridge, just after several artillery salvoes. If we understand that these salutes were directed at the enemy troops, we must deduce that the Ukrainians are already there: they have either crossed the bridge or are about to. And it is an unexpected and very important advance.
[Rusia, ante la disyuntiva de retirarse de Ucrania o volar la central nuclear de Zaporiyia y perderlo todo]
Blow up a dam for nothing
Where does the importance of this bridge over the Konka river come from? First of all, we talk about the area of southern Ukraine, less protected by the Russianswho understood that rivers and marshes were enough of a natural obstacle and that it was better to build their trenches, fortifications and minefields in the area around the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, further east.
In other words, it is a zone from which Ukraine could make a faster advance or, at the very least, could demand that Russia deploy men from other fronts, stretching the gum further.
Second, the strategy of blowing up the dam was supposed to Nova Kakhovka It was intended to prevent this type of action. As the river’s flow and width increased near its mouth at Kherson, amphibious attacks were doomed. Now, Ukraine has probably achieved something simpler: in the midst of chaos and intrigue, directly has been dedicated to passing troops on the asphalt without, surprisingly, these have been stopped.
Lastly, and although it is one thing to send troops to establish a bridgehead and quite another to get enough armored personnel on an already permanently guarded road, the fact that Ukraine is on the other side of the river opens two possible routes: towards the east, depending on how the terrain is after the effects of the floods, that is, towards the city itself Nova Kakhovka and the Energodar power plant; and towards the south, following the same E97, towards the crimean peninsula.
[Dos muertos y 22 heridos en un ataque con misiles en la ciudad ucraniana de Kramatorsk]
A hundred kilometers from Crimea
And it is that of oleshkythe nearest town to the bridge over the Konka, Armiansk, the land entrance to the peninsula, there are no more than one hundred kilometers. All, we insist, on good roads and with the doubt of who is there defending the ground. If last weekend’s attempted riot in Prigozhin has taught us anything, it is the how slowly Russian troops move from one side to the othereven the carelessness with which they do it, requiring huge numbers of soldiers to cover areas that could be better handled with a little more organization.
Nor is it understood that at this point the bridge over the Konka River is still standing. Why they would worry so much about blowing up a dam for dubious military interest, and yet forget the only road access once you get across the Dnieper, is incomprehensible.
[El jefe de Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ya está en Bielorrusia tras haberse rebelado contra Putin]
That is why it is so important to know if Ukraine already controls the bridge or if it is simply in its immediate vicinity. It is a decisive difference because, in the first case, Russia could only withdraw and it would be a matter of time -a long time, we insist, transport is not easy- for Ukraine to concentrate a sufficient number of men and vehicles to consider advancing south or to the east.
While these advances are confirmed in the westernmost part of the front, Ukraine continues to put pressure on the Russians in Rivnopilright between the province of Donetsk and of Zaporizhiaand in the vicinity of BakhmutAlthough, as the Ministry of Defense insists, there are still no Ukrainian troops in the city… nor are we likely to see them any time soon.
The objective seems rather to advance on the flanks and at some point pocket the Russian troops defending the city to disable them, instead of fighting against them and repeating the mistake of Prigozhin and his people.
In fact, advances on the southern flank have already reached the vicinity of the town of kurdyumivka, next to the T0513. If the Ukraine manages to capture the city and cut the road, it will kill the possibility of sending supplies from Gorlovka and will increase the pressure on the town of Optynewhich is already being threatened from the west, probably forcing the Russians to retreat… although they have less and less territory to flee to.