Ukraine is “gaining momentum” in the counterattack in the southern city of Kherson. This was stated by the British Ministry of Defense in its daily update last Thursday.
previously On July 22, the British Ministry of Defense reported That Russian supply chains were at risk.
– What the Ukrainians did was to move forward with something. It should be noted that they acquired land in the relatively open areas around the city. In the city of Kherson itself, it is much more difficult, and the Russians are building defensive positions and preparing to take over the city itself.
This is what Gehr Hagen Carlsen, Lt. Col. and Director of the Defense Staff School, told NRK.
The Ukrainian army launched a large-scale counterattack to retake the strategically important city.
– Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said recently: – We are doing everything we can to make sure that the occupiers do not have logistical opportunities on our land.
According to the British Ministry of Defense, Kherson was cut off from other Russian-occupied cities.
Ukrainian soldier between the cities of Myulaev and Kherson in June.
Photo: Jenia Savelov/AFP
– Prolonged bloody battle
Experts believe that a possible restoration of Kherson will be important for the fighting morale of Ukrainian soldiers.
Kherson was the first city in Ukraine to fall during the war, and is an important gateway to other occupied cities. Kherson is also the largest city occupied by Russia.
Geir Hågen Karlsen believes that five things in particular led to Ukraine’s advance in the regions around Kherson:
- They are quite close to the city.
- They used long-range artillery against Russian ammunition depots.
- They attack the positions of the Russian command to weaken the leadership at various levels in the Russian forces.
- They have resistance groups and special forces attacking Russian soldiers and Ukrainian traitors.
- They use long-range artillery to bombard bridges.
– The way it looks now, they made it impossible to drive over bridges with heavy vehicles. This applies to both road bridges and railway bridges. They then cut a number of smaller bridges along the tributaries, impairing the Russians’ ability to regroup, Carlsen says.
The focus of the Kherson battle is the Antonevsky Bridge, which became “useless” after the Ukrainian counterattacks, According to military sources, BBC cited.
Spanning the Dnipro River, the bridge enabled Russian forces to send supplies from Crimea to Kherson. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
Destruction on the Antonevsky Bridge.
Photo: Ukrinform/Reuters
Kherson is under the control of Russia-backed authorities, and accordingly Russian news agency TASS Hold a referendum on whether the city should be incorporated into Russia.
Russia has already begun issuing Russian passports to residents of the city.
According to Agence France-Presse, the adviser to the Ukrainian authorities, Serge Khelan, says that the city “will be liberated by September”.
On the other hand, Hagen Carlsen thinks a quick conquest is unlikely.
– He says it will be a long and bloody battle if Ukraine tries to take back Kherson.
The fight is still tough
Ukraine is said to have halted work on the Antonevsky Bridge with the help of the US HIMARS missile system.
While the Ukrainians seem focused on retaking Kherson, the Russians are prioritizing the fighting in eastern Ukraine.
What will the possible Ukrainian seizure of Kherson mean for the development of the war and Russia’s ambitions in Ukraine?
– It doesn’t necessarily mean a lot. Kherson is located on the west bank of the Dnipro River and outside the most priority areas for Russians. Strategically, it doesn’t have much to say, but it’s important for Ukraine to release as much as possible, says Hagen Carlsen.
But while things may look brighter for Ukrainian forces in Kherson, Oleksiy Danilov of Ukraine’s National Defense and Security Council warned that Russia is concentrating as many forces as possible in the direction of the city.
– He said yesterday, according to NTB, that a very large transfer of troops is underway.
Fierce battles are also taking place in other parts of Ukraine.
Russia reportedly intensified its attacks in Donbass. A few weeks ago, Russian troops managed to take control of the cities of Lysyntogak and Sevgerodonetsk.
Ukrainian soldier in Kharkiv. Heavy fighting against Russia continues in several parts of Ukraine.
Photo: Jenia Savelov/AFP
And the mayor of Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, announced on Thursday that violent attacks had taken place.
On the same day, Russia bombed areas near the capital, Kyiv, and the northern city of Chernihiv, for the first time in several weeks.
Russian forces launched six missiles from the Black Sea towards the capital, hitting a military unit, according to Oleksiy Krumov, a senior officer of the Ukrainian General Staff.
And 15 people were wounded in the attack, including five civilians, according to the Ukrainian authorities.
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