Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said the military has "not confirmed" reports that Ukrainian forces conducted a raid on the occupied east bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast.
"The original source of this information was the Russians. And then this information was spread," Maliar said in a televised interview. "These are the laws of social media development, nothing can be stopped. But as of now, the General Staff has not confirmed it."
On Aug. 8, a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that Ukrainian forces appeared to have crossed the Dnipro into Russian-occupied positions in Kherson Oblast.
The river divides Ukrainian and Russian positions for hundreds of kilometers along the southern front.
According to the ISW, multiple Russian war bloggers said that around seven boats carrying Ukrainian troops disembarked on the east bank of the Dnipro River, near Kozachi Laheri. They reported that Ukrainian forces managed to breach Russian defenses and push forward by up to 800 meters.
"As soon as the General Staff confirms it, we will definitely discuss it if there is any news," Maliar continued.
The Ukrainian counteroffensive has been underway in at least three directions in Ukraine's southwest and east since early July.
Alexander Khrebet
(Updated: )
