Ukraine war: Kyiv secures bridgehead across key Dnipro River in Kherson region - reports

[muriel_volestrangler]

Ukrainian troops have set up positions on the east bank of the Dnipro River in southern Kherson region, reports say.
...
The US-based Institute for the Study of War says Russian military bloggers have posted "enough geolocated footage and text reports to confirm" the advance.

BBC Ukraine says its military sources have reported a "certain movement across [the] Dnipro" near Kherson city.

Ukraine's military has not confirmed the movement, while Russia has denied the reports.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65379229

From yesterday:

New Ukraine positions near Kherson could signal spring offensive – report
“This is the first time ISW has observed reliable geolocated imagery of Ukrainian positions on the east bank along with multi-sourced Russian reports of an enduring Ukrainian presence there,” the thinktank said in an update.

The Russian military bloggers said Ukrainian forces had established stable supply lines to their positions and “regularly conduct sorties in the area”, the ISW said.

The reported positions were in marshy areas of islets and tributaries near the settlements of Oleshky and Dachi, the report said. Russia still holds those settlements.

A Ukrainian military spokesperson for the southern region declined to comment on reports that Ukrainian troops had achieved a foothold across the river.

“There is an ongoing military operation that requires informational silence. When it is allowed we will be sure to notify you,” Natalia Humenyuk told TV channel 24.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/23/new-ukraine-positions-near-kherson-could-signal-spring-offensive-report

[Bev54]

1. I read in another article a few days ago that the Russians were moving people out

and into other Russian occupied territory in expectation of a Ukrainian offensive coming soon.

[EndlessWire]

3. We are training them on using the Abrams tank, yes?

Feels like it's close. Other countries are also sending tanks. Others have sent jets. And NATO signaled their willingness to take on Ukraine as a member, at some point.

Despite China's rather public foot-in-the-mouth remark about Ukraine's sovereignty, it doesn't seem like Russia is going to get any support for its "I want it, I'll take it" attitude. Meanwhile, Putin is a wanted international war criminal. His people need to intervene, unless they all want to die senselessly. The world is tired of this crap.

I hope that Ukraine takes back Crimea. By the end of this summer, Putin should be finished with his little adventure. The only negotiations should be for how much reparation Russia will owe Ukraine.

[Bev54]

4. They say the offensive has started already, last week. It is not going to be one big push but

will be in stages but we are seeing the Ukrainians pushing on a few fronts now.

[GregariousGroundhog]

5. The Russians have a major predicament

The active frontline is roughly 500 or 600 miles long and they don't have enough people to adequately defend all of it from an offensive that will likely be 40,000 soldier.

Attacking across the Dnipro River isn't likely in the cards given the difficulty of supplying nine brigades across it, though sending a smallish group of several hundred soldiers across the river to raise hell isn't a bad play if the Russians neglect to guard it.

[Bev54]

6. No the Ukrainians are starting further up near Donetsk and along that line.

They may be trying to force the Russians to send more troops that way, like they did in Bakhmut. They are willing to fight the Russians in a place that is already destroyed and are killing many of their troops and Wagner troops. They sent a bunch of Russian military up from around Mariupol to Bakhmut for reinforcement in the area. Ukrainians are saying they are seeing less Wagner and more Russian military.

[maxsolomon]

2. Across the river from Kherson.

There was a bridge connecting Kherson and Oleshy, the Antonovsky Bridge. It was the closest bridge to the Dnipro Delta, on a road that is the main route to Crimea.

Dachy is a strip of riverside homes, while Oleshy is a proper town set back from the river between the marshes and sand dunes.