Russian troops are likely seeking to seize a bridgehead on the western bank of the Dnipro River or one of its islands in order to transfer firepower there, Vladyslav Voloshyn, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian military's Southern Command, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on Dec. 24.
Voloshyn's statement comes amid an anticipated large-scale Russian advance in Kherson Oblast. In early December, Russian troops were carrying out assaults in the southern region to gain a foothold on islands in the Dnipro River delta.
From the new foothold, Russian forces could fire on Kherson and the Ukrainian military units located in the coastal zone on the western bank of the Dnipro, Voloshyn said.
Russian forces conduct five to seven assaults by small infantry groups in this area of the front line every day to "detect weaknesses in Ukrainian defense," according to the official.
"The enemy has launched similar assaults on Kozatsky Island, and for several days in a row, they (Russian forces) have been trying to land on Velykyi Potemkin Island, and before that, they tried to land on the southern island of Zabych," Voloshyn said, adding that Russia also carried out similar assaults near the Antonivskyi bridges two weeks ago.
These efforts are not an attempt to make "a big assault or force the Dnipro River," the spokesman said.
"Such (small) groups do not do this. Much larger forces do this, but it is very difficult to hide them with modern intelligence means," he added.
Even if the information about a possible Russian offensive on Kherson turns out to be true, "it will be fatal for the Russian forces," Oleksandr Tolokonnikov, head of the internal and information policy department of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, told the media.
Meanwhile, if the military warns of such a danger, the local authorities are ready to announce additional evacuations from the city and its neighborhoods, the official said.
Kherson and other regional settlements west of the Dnipro River have been subjected to near-daily Russian strikes since Ukraine liberated the area in November 2022, and Russian troops were pushed to the east of the river.
Russian troops have intensified ground attacks in several areas along the front line over the past few days but failed to break through Ukraine's defense lines, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Dec. 19.
Asami Terajima
(Updated: )
