After several weeks announcing the possible Ukrainian counteroffensive against the Russian Army, it seems that ‘D’ day is getting closer for Zelensky’s soldiers. His troops have gained positions on the east bank of the Dnieper Rivernear the city of Kherson, according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
He think tank states that the Ukrainian Army would have established a “beachhead” either “bridgehead” (an armed fortification that pushes into enemy positions) on the left bank of the river. Ukrainian officials have refused to confirm or deny the information. But it should be stressed that up to now the ISW has been characterized as a reference for international analysts reporting on the conflict. If this new advance is confirmed, it would also mean a first step that could lead Zelenski’s soldiers to the Crimea.
Russian military bloggers have provided enough geolocated images and reports to confirm that Ukrainian forces have established positions on the east bank of Kherson, although the exact number of troops they have and what their next steps will be is unknown. The Ukrainian Army would have been established north of Oleshki (which is 7 kilometers southwest of the city of Kherson) and would have advanced to the outskirts of the E97 highway, as well as west of Dachi (town located 10 kilometers south of Kherson).
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The images to which the ISW has had access also indicate that the Kremlin troops cannot control the islands that are near the Konka and Chaika rivers, less than half a kilometer north of the Ukrainian positions, very close to the Antonovsky bridge. In addition, the report states that Ukrainian forces have managed to hold their positions on the east bank of Kherson for weeksgetting stable supply lines for these positions and carrying out regular raids in the area, which indicates the lack of control of the Russian troops in this area.
All this assumes that Ukraine would carry out a coordinated multi-brigade mechanized offensive operation, making full use of the nine that are being prepared for this operation. This is a daunting task and the largest offensive effort Ukraine has made so far (to situate the reader, the Ukrainian Army used four brigades in the Kharkiv counteroffensive).
Ukraine urges caution
In recent months, Russia has intensified its bombardments on Kherson, while Ukraine has not wanted to confirm the information about the establishment of a “bridgehead” on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River and calls for caution before discussing the progress of its expected counteroffensive. .
A total of 412 Russian shells hit the Ukrainian-controlled part of the Kherson region on Sundaykilling two people and injuring six, according to what the governor of the military administration of the southern province, Oleksandr Prokudin, reported in an appearance Monday.
Ukrainian soldiers walk along a road in the Donetsk region this past Saturday.
Reuters
The humanitarian situation in the cityin which some 50,000 residents of the 300,000 it had before the war remain, is stableProkudin said, although the Russian attacks have continued almost without interruption since the northern area was recaptured by kyiv last November.
Diana Nikitiuka 25-year-old resident of Kherson, tells efe that the neighbors have not seen heavy equipment of the Ukrainian Army in the city that could be targets of the Russian artillery.
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The attacks hit various parts of the city in an apparently arbitrary manner and cause damage to hospitals, commercial establishments and homes.
Natalia Gumenyukspokesman for the Southern Command of the Ukrainian army, insinuated on Monday that the intensification of the attacks is a reaction of the Kremlin to the information according to which the Ukrainian soldiers would have crossed the Dnieper river towards the part controlled by Moscow, in front of Kherson.
“The defense forces are doing a very difficult job, because the front runs along a wide river. Our military operation requires that as little information as possible come to light. until the situation is safe enough for our troops,” Gumeniuk said.
Unlike in Bakhmut, Avdiivka or Mariinka, Russian troops remain on the defensive in Kherson and Zaporizhia, according to the latest report from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army. According to Gumeniuk, Russian forces on the left bank of the Dnieper “are not of high quality”since they depend mainly on recently mobilized and inexperienced soldiers who have been assigned to front units.
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However, their maneuvers attest to “powerful defensive positions” created by Moscow on the left bank, the spokeswoman suggested.
Gumeniuk added that the evacuation of residents of riverside districts of cities such as Nova Kakhovka, which the Russians had reported, was in fact amounting to deportation, carried out in order to bury and lay mines in those territories in response to the Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Ukrainian soldiers next to an infantry vehicle in the Donetsk region.
Reuters
Some inhabitants of the territories under Russian occupation have left under their own power or through various charitable organizations that offer them transportation to travel to Crimea, from where they cross Russia to reach other countries, such as the Baltic States.
However, many of those who remain do not have the chance to leave, as they must care for elderly or sick relatives or fear that their property will be looted by the Russians.
“The only thing they can do is hope and pray for the speedy arrival of the Ukrainian Army.“, pointed to efe Artem, a 33-year-old resident of Lviv (a city located in the west of the country), whose mother remains in a town in the occupied part of Kherson.
