Russian bloggers report
Ukrainians are said to have successfully crossed the Dnipro
08/09/2023 09:02 am
At the end of June, Ukrainian soldiers reached the Russian-held banks of the Dnipro. A similar success could now have been achieved. Reports by the ISW and Russian military bloggers indicate an attack at Kozachi Laheri. The Russian occupation chief, however, plays it down.
Ukrainian forces apparently carried out an attack on the Dnipro River, landing on the left bank of the Kherson region. This reports the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). However, it is unclear whether another bridgehead can be permanently established on the Russian-occupied side of the river.
At the end of June, the Ukrainians had already managed to cross many soldiers to the Antonivka Bridge. They had entrenched themselves there under the bridge. The Russian army is said to have lost numerous soldiers in attacks on this bridgehead without having pushed out the Ukrainian troops. The Kremlin troops also used Iskander missiles. It is unclear whether the bridgehead will continue to exist.
Several Russian military bloggers reported on Tuesday that Ukrainian troops had landed up to seven boats, each carrying six to seven people, on the east bank of the Dnipro near the settlement of Kozachi Laheri. In doing so, they broke through the Russian defenses and advanced up to 800 meters deep. A Russian military blogger explained that the Russian command recently transferred a “prepared grouping” of Russian airborne units from the Kozachi Laheri region to the Zaporizhia region and replaced them with mobilized fighters from an unspecified unit. The Russian defense force in this area was thus weakened.
Crew chief downplays Ukrainian attack
Kherson crew chief Vladimir Saldo denied reports of a Ukrainian landing and said the Ukrainian boats were repulsed by Russian artillery fire. There are no Ukrainian troops near Kozachi Laheri. However, most prominent Russian military bloggers contradicted these statements, stating that Ukrainian forces managed to use a tactical surprise and land on the east bank before exchanging fire with Russian forces. Saldo is probably trying to refute reports of Ukrainian presence in the area to avoid panic.
NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System satellite imagery have witnessed significant firefights in the Kosatschi Laheri area over the past 36 hours. Apparently, the boat attacks were accompanied or prepared for by heavy artillery fire. According to the ISW, well-developed Russian fortifications are said to be located west of Kosatschi Laheri, which, according to satellite images, were heavily shelled.
However, according to Russian sources, a further advance of Ukrainian troops could be prevented. Kozachi Laheri and other towns on the riverbank are therefore still under Russian control. Exactly where Ukrainian troops are on the shore is unclear. According to the ISW, so far there has been no visual evidence of the presence of large Ukrainian troops or vehicles on the Russian-held bank side. There is no confirmation from the Ukrainian side of a successful attack or the establishment of a bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnipro.