Ukraine has said its forces are established on the eastern bank of the Kherson oblast as a latest map illustrates reported gains by Kyiv around the Dnieper River.
Kyiv has conducted cross-river raids into the occupied part of Kherson Oblast, east of the Dnieper River, since February, and attacks were stepped up in August. British defense officials said in July that Ukraine had secured a beachhead near Antonivsky Bridge. There were reports from Russian military bloggers that its forces had established footholds on the occupied bank, which Moscow has admitted.
On Friday, the Ukrainian Marine Corps Command and the Ukrainian General Staff said that, on the region's left bank, their personnel had secured several "bridgeheads", referring to strong positions secured by an army inside enemy territory from which to advance or attack. Newsweek has as yet been unable to verify such claims.
Ukraine's operations were now focused on pushing Russian forces out of artillery range of the other side of the river. This is to stop Russian shelling of Ukrainian civilians on the west bank of Kherson oblast, especially near Kherson city, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on Friday.
The think tank said that the 152mm tube artillery systems Russian forces widely used in Ukraine have a range of around 16 miles. They are unlikely to be deployed to immediate frontline areas due to the threat of Ukrainian counterbattery fire.
Ukrainian troops are conducting raids and reconnaissance and are examining Russian positions for intelligence on their logistics and ammunition, the ISW added.
The think tank provides map updates every day in its daily assessments, and its graphic on Friday shows significant fighting had taken place around Kherson in the previous 24 hours. Geolocated footage posted on November 15 indicated Ukrainian forces had advanced towards the southwest in the village of Krynky.
The Ukrainian Marines said that Russian forces had suffered huge losses of troops almost 3,500 soldiers, including more than 1,200 killed, as well as dozens of pieces of military hardware, in battles on the river on Friday. These figures have not been verified by Newsweek.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared images of the amphibious operations, writing on Telegram to "our warriors" adding, "thank you for your strength, for moving forward! Glory to everyone who returns freedom and justice to Ukraine!"
However, Ukraine has said that Russian forces have a fairly serious fortifications in Kherson oblast, with the Wall Street Journal citing a Ukrainian soldier as describing them as "elaborate dugouts" that had been built over months.
Ukrainian military observer Kostyantyn Mashovets posted on Telegram that Russian forces are not deploying their forces in a "pillar formation" at the immediate frontline on the east bank. This is probably part of a plan to protect its troops from Ukrainian artillery fire and drone strikes.
This "is reminiscent of changes that Russian forces made to Russian tactical defensive deployments in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast," the ISW said.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. His focus is Russia and Ukraine, in particular ... Read more
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