Ukrainian soldiers open fire (Illustration photo: Anadolu).
Reuters reported on November 15 that Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-appointed governor of Kherson province in southern Ukraine, said Ukrainian forces were trying to cross the Dnieper River.
However, he also said that Russian troops quickly pressed forward and rained "hellfire" on Ukrainian forces.
"We have sent reinforcements. The enemy is trapped in Krynki. A fiery hell has been prepared for the enemy with bombs, missiles, heavy artillery systems, artillery shells and drones," said Mr. Saldo.
"In just the past 2-3 days, they have lost at least 1.5-2 companies while trying to cross the river and hold out on the left bank of the Dnieper. The survival time of a Ukrainian soldier on the left bank of the river is just over 2 days," Mr. Saldo added.
According to this official, every day, Russia captures 2-3 Ukrainian soldiers in the Kherson region.
The Dnieper River is considered the border between the Ukrainian and Russian front lines after Moscow withdrew its troops from the west bank and built a solid defense line on the east bank since late last year.
Since then, Ukraine has repeatedly crossed the river and raided Russian bases on the eastern bank of the Dnieper. The successful landing on the eastern bank marks a major step forward for Ukraine on the more than 1,000km long front line with Russia.
The Ukrainian military announced yesterday that its forces had reached the eastern bank of the Dnieper River, seeing this as an important milestone, opening the opportunity to attack towards Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.
Earlier, a Russian military commander said that Ukraine had established a landing bridgehead on the left bank (east bank) of the Dnieper River.
Ukrainian infantry appeared to have used speedboats capable of traveling at 100km/h to cross the river. Meanwhile, Russia had difficulty detecting and tracking the movements of the Ukrainian army due to thick fog.
Oleksandr Musiyenko, a military analyst in Kiev, said the Ukrainian army could launch a swift offensive if it established a foothold on the left bank of the Dnieper. At that point, Kherson would likely become a new flashpoint of conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Experts say the deciding factor now is who can reinforce the Kherson forces quickly and effectively. Russia is using narrow roads to reinforce them, making them vulnerable to ambushes. Meanwhile, Ukraine also faces risks by using small boats or landing craft to transport troops and ammunition.
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