Russia's redeployment of its airborne units (VDV) could leave Moscow's troops on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River vulnerable, British defense officials have said.
In its daily update on Saturday, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said that Russia had probably deployed the VDV units from the Kherson oblast to the Orikhiv sector in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, where fierce fighting is ongoing.
Ukraine started its counteroffensive around June 4 to recapture Russian-occupied territory in a push which Kyiv has admitted had gone more slowly than hoped.
Since the counteroffensive's start, Russia' s 58th Combined Arms Army in Zaporizhzhia has faced Ukrainian assaults. Its commander was fired last month probably because he had insisted that elements of his force needed to be relieved, the U.K. MOD said.
The arrival of VDV units in Zaporizhzhia region might allow Russia's 70th and 71st Motor Rifle Regiments, which have faced intense attrition and heavy combat on the front line, to be pulled out for recovery, the U.K. MOD said.
However, this redeployment is likely to leave Russia's defenses near the east bank of the Dnieper "weaker, where they are increasingly harassed by Ukrainian amphibious raids."
Ahead of their counteroffensive, Ukrainian forces were carrying out frequent raids to dislodge Russian positions on the eastern side of the river, near the city of Kherson, from where Moscow retreated last year.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry about the British defense officials' assessment which tends to emphasize Ukraine gains and Russian losses.
It comes as Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Saturday that one person was killed and 12 were injured after Russian forces struck Orikhiv with a guided bomb.
Elsewhere, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Serhii Lysak said that explosions in Kryvyi Rih were caused by a Russian missile strike. Russian shelling in the Kupiansk district of Kharkiv Oblast, killed a 73-year-old woman, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported
Meanwhile, Russian state media reported on Saturday that air defenses shot down 20 Ukrainian drones overnight in Crimea.
In turn, Ukraine's Air Force said that three out of five Iranian-supplied Shahed drones launched by Russia overnight had been shot down by air defenses in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Separately, the White House said Friday that it would be "certainly open" to training Ukrainian F-16 pilots on American soil, having given the green light for their supply to Kyiv's forces.
However, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said "it's going to be a while" before the aircraft can be integrated into Ukraine's air fleet.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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
