The Ukrainian army said it pushed the Russians back “three to eight kilometers” on the bank of the Dnieper River. This is the first estimate that includes figures on the advance of forces in the area occupied by Russia since the start of the counter-offensive.
“Preliminary numbers range between three and eight kilometres, depending on the specific features, geography and topology of the Left Bank,” army spokeswoman Natalia Gumenyuk told Ukrainian TV. If these numbers are confirmed, it would be Kiev’s biggest advance against the Russians in a few months. The information could not be independently verified.
The spokeswoman did not clarify whether Ukrainian forces now fully control the area in Kherson and whether the Russian army has withdrawn. “The enemy continues to fire its artillery on the right bank,” Gumenyuk said, referring to “tens of thousands of Russian soldiers” in the area. “We still have a lot of work to do,” she added.
The long-awaited offensive launched by Kiev in June has so far been unsuccessful. Kiev was only able to regain control over a number of villages in the south and east of the country. The last major success claimed by Kiev was the recapture of the village of Robotyn in the Zaporizhzhya region in August. Ukraine hoped that the recapture would allow the army to liberate more occupied areas, but this did not succeed.
The capture of additional positions on the left bank of the Dnieper would allow a major offensive to be launched in the south. But Ukraine must then succeed in deploying additional forces, vehicles and equipment in the inaccessible area of sand and swamps.
