Ukrainian forces have dug in at a small bridgehead on the left bank of the giant Dnipro River threatening Russian troops in the area, British military chiefs said on Tuesday.
However, Kyiv soldiers are not believed yet to have “broken into” Russia’s primary defences in the south of the war-torn country, they added.
Russian units in the eastern town of Bakhmut were “fragile but holding for now,” they explained further.
In its latest intelligence update, the Ministry of Defence in London said: “Over the last week, fighting has continued in multiple sectors of the front, with both sides achieving marginal advances in different areas.
“In the north-east, Russian forces have attempted to push west through forests west of Kremina. Ukraine continues to resource significant effort around Russian-held Bakhmut.
“Here Russian forces are likely fragile but holding for now. Further south in Donetsk Oblast (province), especially around Avdiivka, Russian forces continue to attempt local assaults, with little success.”
The briefing added: “In the south, Ukraine continues to attack on at least two axes, but is unlikely to have yet broken into Russia’s primary defensive lines.
“In this area, Russia has likely implemented a shell-rationing regime for artillery in an attempt to preserve its critical indirect fire capability.
“In Kherson Oblast (province), Ukraine maintains a small bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnipro River near the ruined Antonivsky Bridge which is an added challenge for Russian commanders who are likely concerned about the vulnerability of their south-western flank.”
Meanwhile, Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi , who led the defence of Kyiv and is now head of military operations in eastern Ukraine, told the BBC of the slow progress of its counter-offensive.
“We’d like to get very fast results,” he said.
“But in reality it’s practically impossible.”
The Russians have built extensive defensive formations guarded by huge minefields.
“Therefore, our advances are really not going as fast as we would like,” he added.
