All Ukrainian military operations in Kherson failed: Russia (file)
Moscow, Russia:
Russia said on Tuesday it had fended off a Ukrainian attempt to enter the eastern bank of the southern occupied Kherson region, and claimed Kiev forces had suffered “huge losses.”
Ukraine’s military announced last week that it had pushed Russian troops back to 3-8 kilometers (2-5 miles) from the banks of the Dnipro River, in what would have been the first meaningful advance in months.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said at a roundtable meeting with officials that “all attempts by the Ukrainian military to launch a landing in the Kherson region have failed.”
“Thanks to the pre-emptive strike of our troops… the Ukrainian army is suffering huge losses,” he added.
AFP could not independently verify the military situation in the Kherson region.
However, some pro-Kremlin military bloggers published reports contradicting Shoigu’s statements.
And Vladimir Sardo, Russia’s installed governor of the Kherson region, admitted last week that dozens of Ukrainian troops had set up positions around a small village on the eastern bank of Klinki.
If confirmed, this advance would be a significant breakthrough for Ukraine, which has made multiple attempts to cross the Dnipro River.
The waterway has become the de facto front line between the two countries since Moscow withdrew from the West Bank in November 2022.
Crossing the bridge would be a step toward building a land bridge to the annexed Crimea peninsula.
However, many analysts say the territory controlled by the Ukrainian military is small and it will be difficult to turn it into a real breakthrough.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
