KYIV: Ukraine said it had carried out successful attacks on the Russian-occupied eastern bank of the Dnipro river, days after Moscow admitted Kyiv’s forces had gained a foothold there.
A sustained Ukrainian breakthrough across the frontline waterway would mark a significant success for Kyiv, whose wider counteroffensive has so far failed to turn the tide of the 21-month war.
“The Defence Forces of Ukraine conducted a series of successful operations on the left bank of the Dnipro River, along the Kherson front,” Ukraine’s Marine Corps said in a statement on social media.
Kyiv said its forces had “managed to gain a foothold on several bridgeheads.” In a follow-up statement it added: “heavy fighting continues.” The rival armies have been entrenched on opposite sides of the Dnipro since Russia withdrew from the western part of Kherson region last November, in an embarrassing setback for the Kremlin.
That was the last major territorial change in the conflict, with both sides having since failed to make progress despite multiple offensives.
Russia’s defence ministry later appeared to reject Kyiv’s claims of a breakthrough.
“The enemy (is) on the right (western) bank of the Dnipro,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that it had thwarted Ukrainian attempts to land on unspecified islands. Both sides said they had inflicted heavy losses on the other — claims could not verify.
Non-stop shelling
Since their withdrawal, Russian forces have continuously shelled Ukrainian towns and villages across the river, forcing civilian evacuations.
The governor of Kherson region said early on Friday that one person was killed in the latest Russian shelling, following at least three deaths the day before.
Earlier this week, the Russian-installed official responsible for occupied Kherson conceded for the first time that some Ukrainian units had crossed the Dnipro and established positions on the eastern bank.
He said Kyiv’s troops were “blocked” in Krynky, a small village on the eastern bank of the Dnipro river, and were facing a “fiery hell” from Russian artillery, rockets and drones.
The official, Vladimir Saldo, said Ukraine had only been able to cross the river by “throwing meat” — a euphemism for military assaults that involve huge numbers of manpower and encounter heavy losses.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday posted photos on social media of what he said were Ukrainian soldiers on the Dnipro’s eastern bank. They showed a handful of soldiers crossing a river in a small boat and disembarking.
Kyiv hopes the foothold will open up the possibility for a more sustained offensive in the south and towards the annexed Crimean peninsula.
But Russia’s Saldo said boggy, swamp-like terrain, combined with Russia’s superior manpower and supplies give them a significant upper hand.
The battle comes two weeks after Ukraine’s top commander said the war had ground to a “stalemate” – an assessment rejected by both Zelensky and the Kremlin.
Also on Friday, Russia’s defence ministry said its troops fighting further to the east on the “southern Donetsk front” had “taken up more favourable positions” — language previously used by Russia when announcing retreats and withdrawals. AFP
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