KYIV: Ukrainian forces made their biggest breakthrough in the south of the country since the war began, storming the front and advancing rapidly along the Dnipro River on Monday, threatening to encircle thousands of Russian troops. .
Kyiv did not give an official confirmation of the profits, but Russian sources admit that a Ukrainian tank attack advanced tens of kilometers (miles) along the western bank of the river, retaking several houses. village on the way.
Breakthroughs reflecting Ukraine’s recent successes in the east have turned the tide in the war against Russia, even as Moscow tries to advance its advantage by annexing territory, ordering mobilization and threatening threatened nuclear retaliation.
“The information is tense, let’s put it that way, because, yes there have been really breakthroughs,” said Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed leader in the occupied areas of the country. UkraineKherson province told Russian state television.
“There was a settlement called Dudchany, right along the Dnipro river, and right in that area, there was a breakthrough. There are settlements that are being occupied by the Ukrainian army,” he said.
Dudchany was about 40 kilometers (25 mi) south of where the front stood just a day earlier, indicating one of the fastest advances of the war and by far the fastest south, where Russian forces had dug into strongly reinforced positions. a mostly static frontline since the early weeks of the invasion.
While Kyiv has maintained almost complete silence, as before in major breaches, several officials have described what they call unconfirmed reports of profits.
Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, posted a photo of Ukrainian soldiers posing with their flag on a golden statue of an angel. He said it was the village of Mikhailivka, about 20 kilometers from the previous front.
“In the past few days we have seen the first picture of Osokorivka … we have seen our troops near the entrance to Mykhailivka, we have seen our troops in Khreschenivka, next to it monument. This means Zolota Balka Serhiy Khlan, a Kherson regional council member, told Reuters, told Reuters.
“Officially there is no such information yet, but the (Russian) social media sites are buzzing … completely confirming these photos.”
Similar tactics to the east
The push to the south reflects a tactic that has given Kyiv major gains since early September in eastern Ukraine, where its forces quickly seized territory to gain control of supply lines. of Russia, cutting off the larger Russian forces and forcing them to retreat.
Just hours after a concert on Red Square in Moscow on Friday, where the President of Russia Vladimir Putin declare the provinces of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia As Russian territory forever, Ukraine has recaptured Lyman, the main Russian fortress north of Donetsk Oblast.
That opened the way for it to push deep into Luhansk province, threatening key supply routes to territory Moscow had captured in some of the bloodiest battles of June and July.
Putin has responded to Russia’s defeats on the battlefield over the past month by escalating: announcing the annexation of occupied territory, calling tens of thousands of men in reserve and threatening nuclear retaliation.
To the south, the Ukrainian advance targeted supply routes for thousands of Russian troops – perhaps as many as 25,000 – on the western bank of the Dnipro, where they sent a large army to prevent a counterattack. which Ukraine claimed there in August.
Ukraine destroyed the main bridge over the Dnipro, forcing Russian forces to use temporary overpasses. A substantial advance along the river could bring the remaining crossing points within artillery range.
Kyiv-based military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said: “The fact that we broke through the front means that … the Russian army has lost its ability to strike, and today or tomorrow they have it. can lose defense.
“Our one month of work destroying their supply and reducing this group’s combat effectiveness means they are operating with minimal rations of ammunition, fuel and food.”
Russian military bloggers describe an advance by Ukrainian tanks through tens of kilometers of territory along the banks of the Dnipro River.
Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Institute for Foreign Policy Studies, wrote on Twitter: “When many Russian channels sound the alarm, it usually means they are in trouble.
Reports of Ukraine’s battlefield advances come amid a tumultuous Russian mobilization Putin Ordered 10 days ago. Tens of thousands of Russian men have been called up, while tens of thousands more have fled abroad.
Russian authorities have yet to determine the criteria for who should be sent to combat. Putin has said that mistakes have been made and people have been called up who should not have been made.
In the latest sign of confusion, Mikhail Degtyarev, governor of the Khabarovsk region in Russia’s Far East, said on Monday that about half of the men called there had been found unfit to work. mission and was sent home. He fired the region’s military commissar.
Kyiv did not give an official confirmation of the profits, but Russian sources admit that a Ukrainian tank attack advanced tens of kilometers (miles) along the western bank of the river, retaking several houses. village on the way.
Breakthroughs reflecting Ukraine’s recent successes in the east have turned the tide in the war against Russia, even as Moscow tries to advance its advantage by annexing territory, ordering mobilization and threatening threatened nuclear retaliation.
“The information is tense, let’s put it that way, because, yes there have been really breakthroughs,” said Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed leader in the occupied areas of the country. UkraineKherson province told Russian state television.
“There was a settlement called Dudchany, right along the Dnipro river, and right in that area, there was a breakthrough. There are settlements that are being occupied by the Ukrainian army,” he said.
Dudchany was about 40 kilometers (25 mi) south of where the front stood just a day earlier, indicating one of the fastest advances of the war and by far the fastest south, where Russian forces had dug into strongly reinforced positions. a mostly static frontline since the early weeks of the invasion.
While Kyiv has maintained almost complete silence, as before in major breaches, several officials have described what they call unconfirmed reports of profits.
Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, posted a photo of Ukrainian soldiers posing with their flag on a golden statue of an angel. He said it was the village of Mikhailivka, about 20 kilometers from the previous front.
“In the past few days we have seen the first picture of Osokorivka … we have seen our troops near the entrance to Mykhailivka, we have seen our troops in Khreschenivka, next to it monument. This means Zolota Balka Serhiy Khlan, a Kherson regional council member, told Reuters, told Reuters.
“Officially there is no such information yet, but the (Russian) social media sites are buzzing … completely confirming these photos.”
Similar tactics to the east
The push to the south reflects a tactic that has given Kyiv major gains since early September in eastern Ukraine, where its forces quickly seized territory to gain control of supply lines. of Russia, cutting off the larger Russian forces and forcing them to retreat.
Just hours after a concert on Red Square in Moscow on Friday, where the President of Russia Vladimir Putin declare the provinces of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia As Russian territory forever, Ukraine has recaptured Lyman, the main Russian fortress north of Donetsk Oblast.
That opened the way for it to push deep into Luhansk province, threatening key supply routes to territory Moscow had captured in some of the bloodiest battles of June and July.
Putin has responded to Russia’s defeats on the battlefield over the past month by escalating: announcing the annexation of occupied territory, calling tens of thousands of men in reserve and threatening nuclear retaliation.
To the south, the Ukrainian advance targeted supply routes for thousands of Russian troops – perhaps as many as 25,000 – on the western bank of the Dnipro, where they sent a large army to prevent a counterattack. which Ukraine claimed there in August.
Ukraine destroyed the main bridge over the Dnipro, forcing Russian forces to use temporary overpasses. A substantial advance along the river could bring the remaining crossing points within artillery range.
Kyiv-based military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said: “The fact that we broke through the front means that … the Russian army has lost its ability to strike, and today or tomorrow they have it. can lose defense.
“Our one month of work destroying their supply and reducing this group’s combat effectiveness means they are operating with minimal rations of ammunition, fuel and food.”
Russian military bloggers describe an advance by Ukrainian tanks through tens of kilometers of territory along the banks of the Dnipro River.
Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the Institute for Foreign Policy Studies, wrote on Twitter: “When many Russian channels sound the alarm, it usually means they are in trouble.
Reports of Ukraine’s battlefield advances come amid a tumultuous Russian mobilization Putin Ordered 10 days ago. Tens of thousands of Russian men have been called up, while tens of thousands more have fled abroad.
Russian authorities have yet to determine the criteria for who should be sent to combat. Putin has said that mistakes have been made and people have been called up who should not have been made.
In the latest sign of confusion, Mikhail Degtyarev, governor of the Khabarovsk region in Russia’s Far East, said on Monday that about half of the men called there had been found unfit to work. mission and was sent home. He fired the region’s military commissar.
