The Ukrainian army said on Sunday it was forcing the Russians to withdraw “three to eight kilometers” to the left bank of the Dnieper, occupied by the Moscow army, the first quantified estimate of the advance of Kiev’s forces in this area.
“Preliminary figures vary between three and eight kilometers, depending on the specific features, geography and topography of the Left Bank,” army spokeswoman Natalia Goumeniouk told Ukrainian television, according to news agency France-Presse (AFP).
If this advance is confirmed, it will be the largest attack by the Ukrainian army on the Russians in several months.
However, Natalia Goumeniouk did not say whether the Ukrainian forces fully controlled this area of the Kherson (south) region or whether the Russian army had withdrawn in the face of the attack by Kiev forces.
“The enemy continues to fire artillery on the right bank,” he said, estimating the number of Russian soldiers in the area at “several tens of thousands.”
“We have a lot of work to do,” the Ukrainian army spokeswoman continued.
The long-awaited counter-offensive by Kiev and its Western allies, launched last June, failed, leaving the Ukrainian army able to recapture only a handful of villages in the south and east.
The last major success Ukraine claimed in its counter-offensive was the recapture of the village of Robotyné in August in the southern Zaporijjia region.
Kiev hoped that this reconquest would allow the country to break through Russian lines and liberate the occupied territories, but the Ukrainian army was unable to do so despite Russian firepower and solid defense lines.
Taking deep positions on the left bank of the Dnieper could allow a larger attack to the south. But for this to happen, Ukraine must be able to deploy a large number of troops, vehicles and equipment in this difficult-to-access, sandy and swampy area.
The AFP is not in a position to confirm or deny the warring parties’ claims.
Source: DN
