Russians pushed back
Ukrainian defenders establish themselves on the left bank of the Dnipro
November 19, 2023, 10:34 p.m
The Ukrainian liberators are gaining ground at the mouth of the Dnipro into the Black Sea. According to a military spokeswoman, the troops are holding an eight-kilometer-long strip on the side of the river that was previously held by Russians.
The Ukrainian military says it is stabilizing positions in the contested Kherson region, southeast of the Dnipro River. “The defense forces continue to hold positions on the left bank of the Dnipro in the Kherson region,” the General Staff said on Facebook.
The spokeswoman for the southern command post, Natalya Humenyuk, had previously said that the Ukrainian army had now pushed the Russians three to eight kilometers away from the river on the left bank, which was until recently completely occupied. International observers had also recently reported advances by the Ukrainians in the area.
Last Friday he reported to the Ukrainian General Staff that they had managed to complete “a whole series of successful operations” on the eastern bank of the Dnipro. Some bridgeheads were established. One of the main goals is to “drive the enemy as far as possible from the right bank in order to protect the civilian population from continuous Russian shelling.”
Kherson in southern Ukraine was largely occupied shortly after the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022. In November last year, the Ukrainian army managed to liberate the parts of the region on the right bank of the river – including the regional capital of the same name, Kherson. The Russians continued to occupy the places on the left bank of the river. The wide Dnipro has been the front line and a major natural barrier between Ukrainian and Russian forces in southern Ukraine for a year.
For some time now, Ukrainian troops have been trying to use boats to cross to the other bank at night and to form bridgeheads in order to push the Russian units further inland. In the summer, Ukrainian soldiers were able to set up a position under the destroyed Antonivka Bridge, to which Russia responded with violent attacks and air strikes.