Ukraine said on Sunday that Russian troops crossing the Dnipro River in the Kherson region, a southern city occupied by Moscow, risk being trapped there after all existing bridges were put out of use.
“The only means of crossing the river for the occupants is the pontoons near the Antonivski bridge, but they will not be able to fully meet their needs,” regional deputy Serguiï Khlan told Ukrainian television.
According to him, “Russia is moving its command centers from the right bank of the river to the left, knowing that in case of escalation they will not be able to be evacuated in time.”
He estimated at 20,000 the number of Russian soldiers present on the right bank of the river and specified that they will always be able to “cross the damaged bridges on foot.”
The three bridges bombed in recent weeks
Russian troops seized at the beginning of Ukraine’s invasion of Kherson on the Dnipro River, the only regional capital they have managed to conquer so far.
They have advanced a few tens of kilometers to the west, but the three bridges (two road and one rail) that cross the river in the area they control have been bombed repeatedly in recent weeks.
The most important is the Antonivski Bridge, on the outskirts of Kherson, which has been hit several times by missiles since the end of July. Another is the Nova Kakhovka bridge, 50 kilometers to the northeast, the target of strikes this week.
“The Russians can no longer transfer material”
“Yesterday (Friday), our armed forces finally and effectively attacked the bridge near Nova Kakhovka. The Russians can no longer transfer equipment, ammunition and even food for their troops,” Serguii Khlan had already said on Saturday night.
The British Ministry of Defense confirmed in its daily briefing on Saturday that “the two main road bridges giving access to Russian-occupied territory on the west bank of the Dnieper are likely to be out of service.”
Source: BFM TV
