Russian troops are possible looking for to grab a bridgehead on the western financial institution of the Dnipro River or one in every of its islands with the intention to switch firepower there, Vladyslav Voloshyn, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian navy's Southern Command, instructed Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on Dec. 24.
Voloshyn's assertion comes amid an anticipated large-scale Russian advance in Kherson Oblast. In early December, Russian troops had been finishing up assaults within the southern area to achieve a foothold on islands within the Dnipro River delta.
From the brand new foothold, Russian forces may hearth on Kherson and the Ukrainian navy models situated within the coastal zone on the western financial institution of the Dnipro, Voloshyn mentioned.
Russian forces conduct 5 to seven assaults by small infantry teams on this space of the entrance line each day to "detect weaknesses in Ukrainian protection," in accordance with the official.
"The enemy has launched comparable assaults on Kozatsky Island, and for a number of days in a row, they (Russian forces) have been attempting to land on Velykyi Potemkin Island, and earlier than that, they tried to land on the southern island of Zabych," Voloshyn mentioned, including that Russia additionally carried out comparable assaults close to the Antonivskyi bridges two weeks in the past.
These efforts will not be an try to make "an enormous assault or power the Dnipro River," the spokesman mentioned.
"Such (small) teams don’t do that. A lot bigger forces do that, however it is rather tough to cover them with trendy intelligence means," he added.
Even when the details about a attainable Russian offensive on Kherson seems to be true, "will probably be deadly for the Russian forces," Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, head of the inner and knowledge coverage division of the Kherson Regional Army Administration, instructed the media.
In the meantime, if the navy warns of such a hazard, the native authorities are able to announce further evacuations from the town and its neighborhoods, the official mentioned.
Kherson and different regional settlements west of the Dnipro River have been subjected to near-daily Russian strikes since Ukraine liberated the realm in November 2022, and Russian troops had been pushed to the east of the river.
Russian troops have intensified floor assaults in a number of areas alongside the entrance line over the previous few days however failed to interrupt via Ukraine's protection strains, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi mentioned on Dec. 19.
The Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima