Ukrainian authorities are evacuating people from the partly occupied southern part of Kherson, a day after alleged Ukrainian forces crossed the Dnieper and established a bridgehead on the east bank, Ukrainian authorities said.
According to Guardian and others on the 24th (local time), Oleksandr Samoilenko, head of Ukraine’s Kherson region, said, “Russian forces began evacuating residents on Sunday under the pretext of preventing combat damage.”
As the Ukrainian military’s operations are energized in the southern region, this news is interpreted as a precursor to the long-expected Ukrainian offensive.
The southern front has been the focus of attention since the Institute for Warfare (ISW), an American think tank, said on Sunday that Ukrainian forces appear to have established a beachhead in a settlement called Dachi on the eastern bank of the Dnipro. ISW reportedly came to this conclusion after analyzing photos and messages released by Russian military bloggers.
The ISW also said that the Chaika River and the island of Kinka, less than 500 meters north of Dachi, appear to be no longer under Russian control.
Ukrainian forces achieved solid results in several months of low-intensity fighting in the Dnipro Delta and the Kinver Cape, an elongated sandy peninsula. Small forces in rubber boats have frequently fought between Ukrainian and Russian forces for control of the small islands that dot the mouth of the Dnieper River.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian Armed Forces said the ISW’s claim could neither be confirmed nor denied, saying “we must remain silent about the military operation until sufficient security has been secured.”
It has been almost six months since Ukrainian forces recaptured most of Kherson and the west bank of the Dnieper River in November last year that Ukrainian forces posted some results on the southern front.
According to a recent ISW report, Kherson, partly controlled by Russian forces, is the most vulnerable on all fronts. ISW analyzed that the Russian army here lacks troops and is in the most disorganized state.
However, Vladimir Saldo, a district official dispatched by Russia to the Kherson region, denied that Ukrainian forces had established a foothold on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River. “Russian forces have full control of the area,” he claimed.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.