Ukrainian forces have made an attempt to cross the Dnipro River dividing liberated and occupied Kherson, in a potential breach of what has for months served as the frontline in the south of Ukraine.
Russian military bloggers reported that up to seven boats, each carrying six to seven people, had landed near the village of Kozachi Laheri, east of Kherson city, on Tuesday and broke through Russian defensive lines.
It was claimed that the Ukrainian soldiers had advanced up to 800 metres after getting to the riverbank, though it appeared Russian forces had had some success in fighting them back.
The Russian-imposed head of the occupied part of the Kherson oblast, Vladimir Saldo, claimed the Ukrainian raid had been repelled.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) thinktank in Washington said, however, that it appeared that a “limited raid” may have had more success than Saldo had acknowledged.
In the latest update, the ISW wrote: “The majority of prominent Russian [military bloggers] claimed that Ukrainian forces managed to utilise tactical surprise and land on the east bank before engaging Russian forces in small arms exchanges, and Saldo was likely purposefully trying to refute claims of Ukrainian presence in this area to avoid creating panic in the already delicate Russian information space.”
It added that there was satellite imagery to suggest there had been a major battle in the area.
“Hotspots on available Nasa Fire Information for Resource Management System [Firms] data from the past 24 hours in this area appear to confirm that there was significant combat, likely preceded or accompanied by artillery fire,” the ISW said. “By the end of the day on 8 August, many Russian sources had updated their claims to report that Russian forces retain control over Kozachi Laheri, having pushed Ukrainian forces back to the shoreline, and that small arms skirmishes are occurring in shoreline areas near Kozachi Laheri and other east bank settlements.”
There have been a number of attempts by Ukrainian forces to cross the Dnipro River, which has been established as the dividing line between the warring nations since Ukraine’s successful offensive in Kherson in November pushed on to what is known as the “left bank” of the river.
In June, a raid was launched by Ukraine’s elite 73rd marine special operations unit, but the latest landing appears to have been the most significant of recent months despite doubts over the sustainability of the Ukrainian positions.
Ukrainian forces had been expected to make advances in Kherson in its counteroffensive, but the Nova Kakhovka dam burst in June caused the Dnipro river to widen in key sections, making advances across the water increasingly difficult.
In Moscow, one woman was killed and at least 50 people injured after an explosion at the Zagorsk optical and mechanical plant in Sergiev Posad.
