In the past few weeks, Ukrainian associations have been advancing in the Kherson region. The situation worsened for the Russian troops on the west bank of the Dnipro. Now Ukraine's defense minister is proclaiming that all crossings are within range of Kiev's artillery.
Adverse weather and difficult terrain make it difficult for Ukraine to recapture the Russian-occupied areas in the Cherson region. "Southern Ukraine is an agricultural region with many irrigation canals that the Russians use as trenches," Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said in an interview with US broadcaster Fox News. In addition, heavy rains slowed down the wheeled combat vehicles.
"The counter-offensive on Kherson is more difficult than that on Kharkiv." Nevertheless, the Ukrainian armed forces would make progress "step by step". "We control all bridges across the Dnipro with HIMARS and other artillery," Reskow said. It is therefore risky for the Russian troops to continue to hold the bridgehead on the western bank. "They will not have a chance to flee like they did in the Kharkiv region," he added.
In recent weeks, the situation of Russian troops in the Kherson region has deteriorated significantly - especially on the western bank of the Dnipro. The supplies have almost come to a standstill due to the Ukrainian shelling of the bridges. During attacks in early October, the Ukrainians were able to gain significant ground. Despite the subsequent evacuation of the Russian occupation authorities from the regional capital of Cherson, the Ukrainian military intelligence service does not expect Moscow's troops to withdraw from the city.
The Russian army is preparing to defend the city, the head of the secret service, Kyrylo Budanov, said in Kyiv on Monday. "The Russian occupiers only create the illusion that they are leaving Kherson, but in fact they are bringing new military units there," he told the Ukrajinska Pravda portal. Budanov's statements cannot be independently verified.
The adviser to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Oleksiy Arestovych, assesses the situation in a similar way. "The situation around Kherson is clear. The Russians are stocking up and strengthening their group there," Arestovych said in an online video today. "This means that no one is preparing to retreat. On the contrary, the heaviest battles will take place around Kherson."
