Ukrainian Army Crosses Dnipro River for the First Time since Onset of War
The US-based Institute for the Study of War and Russian military bloggers said Ukraine’s military in recent weeks set up positions on the eastern side of the Dnipro River near Kherson city. This is the first time Ukrainian forces have reached the eastern side of the river.
A report by news agency the Guardian said that this move could be the first steps towards dislodging Russian forces from positions they have been using to shell and shoot the liberated city of Kherson.
“This is the first time ISW has observed reliable geolocated imagery of Ukrainian positions on the east bank along with multi-sourced Russian reports of an enduring Ukrainian presence there,” the think tank said.
The thinktank said that Ukraine forces could use this momentum to launch a much-awaited spring offensive to reclaim more territory.
Russians control several areas in that region and settlements in that area but Ukrainians have established themselves in marshy areas of islets and tributaries near the settlements of Oleshky and Dachi. These areas are still under Russian control but Ukrainian forces set up stable supply lines to their positions there.
Ukraine has not officially announced that its army achieved a foothold across the river. Journalist Nataliya Gumenyuk said it is “an ongoing military operation that requires informational silence”. “When it is allowed we will be sure to notify you,” the journalist was quoted as saying by TV channel 24.
Ukraine earlier signalled that once weather conditions permit and troops are ready, attempts to dislodge Russian forces from territory they still hold in the south and east of the country will be undertaken.
Russia controls about 17% of Ukraine, which also includes the Crimean peninsula and parts of Luhansk and Donetsk which are governed by Moscow-backed separatists.
Ukraine has surprised allies and detractors by fending off Russian soldiers in the first year of the war as many thought Russians were better equipped and better armed.
Russia abandoned attempts to seize Kyiv last spring after Ukrainian forces defended the capital. Ukrainian forces in autumn of 2022 liberated large areas of north-eastern Kharkiv and pushed Russian troops out of Kherson.
An US military document leaked shows thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and over 100,000 wounded. The US estimates the Russian force’s losses to be three or four times higher than Ukraine’s, the Guardian said in its report.
