Russia's sabotage groups are trying to gain a foothold and have increased the number of attacks in Kherson Oblast, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Dec. 26 on national television.
Prokudin's statement comes amid an anticipated large-scale Russian advance in Kherson Oblast. In early December, Russian troops carried out assaults in the southern region to gain a foothold on islands in the Dnipro River delta.
"We are observing an increase in enemy activity. We understand the places where enemy airborne groups can land, and the (Ukrainian) Defense Forces are ready to destroy them," Prokudin said.
Attacks are "not rare," and Russian soldiers are trying to gain a foothold on the western bank of the Dnipro regularly, according to the governor. However, none of these attempts have been successful, he added.
Russian diversionary groups are trying to gain a foothold on the islands near Kherson or on the western bank of the river every day, Prokudin said, adding that "all the diversionists were eliminated."
The Russian military has been trying to advance on Kozatsky Island, Velykyi Potemkin Island, and the southern island of Zabych in recent weeks, Vladyslav Voloshyn, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian military's Southern Command, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on Dec. 24.
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, pushing Russian troops 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: )
