Ukraine's Armed Forces have put "significant" pressure on Russian presence on the Kinburn Spit in Mykolaiv Oblast, Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Southern Command, said on April 6.

Kinburn Spit is a 40-kilometer long and up to 12-kilometer-wide part of the Kinburn peninsula between the Dnipro-Bug estuary and the Black Sea in southern Ukraine.

Russian forces shell the Dnipro-Bug estuary from the western part of the Kinburn Spit once every few days to create an impression they are controlling sea transport routes, Humeniuk said on national television, cited by Ukrainska Pravda publication. However, Russian troops don't have a "permanent presence" in the area, she added.

According to Ukraine's military spokeswoman, Russian forces are concentrated closer to the mainland, where they are "hiding behind" the local population.

According to the Institute for the Study of War, control over the Kinburn spit would allow the Ukrainian army to reduce Russian attacks on the Ukrainian-controlled Black Sea coast, as well as act as a bridgehead to conduct military operations on the east bank of the river in Russia-controlled Kherson Oblast.

Reznikov: Counteroffensive planned in several areas in spring

Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in an interview with Estonian television channel Err.ee that the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces is planning a counteroffensive in several areas in spring.

Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk