Vladimir Putin’s forces are making only “minimal gains” in his bid to seize the whole of the Donbas region of Ukraine, British defence chiefs said on Wednesday.
They stressed that Ukranian troops were “holding the line” against the latest attempted Russian advances.
They also highlighted that one of two key bridges, allowing Mr Putin’s generals to supply and withdraw soldiers in an area of southern Ukraine, had reportedly been damaged in an attack.
The Russian president’s forces recently seized the twin cities of Lysychansk and Severodonetsk in the Luhansk province of the eastern Donbas industrial region and are now focusing on seizing territory in the neighbouring Donetsk province.
However, in its latest intelligence update, the Ministry of Defence in London said: “Russia continues to make minimal gains in its Donbas offensive, with Ukrainian forces holding the line.”
It added: “On 19 July 2022, the authorities in Russian-occupied Kherson reported that the Antonovskiy Bridge over the Dnieper River had been struck by Ukrainian forces. Social media posts showed apparent battle damage to the bridge’s roadway.
“It is highly likely that the bridge remains usable – but it is a key vulnerability for Russian Forces.”
The British defence chiefs stressed that it is one of “only two road crossing points over the Dnieper by which Russia can supply or withdraw its forces in the territory it has occupied west of the river”.
The briefing added: “This area includes the city of Kherson, which is politically and symbolically important for Russia. The lower reaches of the Dnieper present a natural barrier, with the waterway typically around 1000m wide.
“Control of Dnieper crossings is likely to become a key factor in the outcome of fighting in the region.”
The UK, America and other allied countries are locked in an information war against Russia, which is a key part of the conflict in Ukraine, so their claims need to be treated in that context.
The MoD rarely highlights Ukrainian defeats, instead focusing on failures by the Russian president’s army.
However, Russian claims need to be treated with even greater caution given that the Kremlin does not even admit that there is a war going on in Ukraine and its denials of war crimes and killing thousands of civilians are deeply at odds with widespread reports from the conflict zone.
