A Ukrainian withdrawal from the left bank of the Dnipro river close to the southern city of Kherson is making life easier for the Russians, a military expert has told Polish state news agency PAP.
Russian forces occupied the village of Krynky on the left, southern bank of the river on the first day of the full-scale invasion, February 24, 2022. Ukrainian forces gained a foothold in Krynky in October 2023, and the Russians have made almost-daily attempts to dislodge them from their positions.
According to Ivan Kyrychevskyi, a Ukrainian military expert, the situation on the left bank changed following the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Krynky, albeit not to the extent that would mean the Ukrainian army lost “fire control” over the area.
“This means that there are capabilities to fire at Russians using artillery and long-range combat drones,” he said.
According to the expert, Ukrainian commanders’ lack of commentary following media reports about the withdrawal from Krynky, and the commanders’ poor communication in general, may cause problems in Ukrainian society. The media reported that Ukrainian forces suffered casualties as high as 1,000.
Citing police data, Slidstvo.Info, a Ukrainian investigative journalism website, said that between October 2023 and June 2024, the bodies of 262 Ukrainian soldiers were recovered from the area, while 788 Ukrainian troops are considered missing.
According to Ivan Kyrychevskyi, a Ukrainian military expert, the situation on the left bank changed following the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Krynky, albeit not to the extent that would mean the Ukrainian army lost “fire control” over the area.
“This means that there are capabilities to fire at Russians using artillery and long-range combat drones,” he said.
According to the expert, Ukrainian commanders’ lack of commentary following media reports about the withdrawal from Krynky, and the commanders’ poor communication in general, may cause problems in Ukrainian society. The media reported that Ukrainian forces suffered casualties as high as 1,000.
Citing police data, Slidstvo.Info, a Ukrainian investigative journalism website, said that between October 2023 and June 2024, the bodies of 262 Ukrainian soldiers were recovered from the area, while 788 Ukrainian troops are considered missing.
70,000 Russian troops freed up?
The Ukrainian presence in Krynky had also served to tie up a massive Russian force of 70,000, which Moscow can now deploy elsewhere on the frontline.
Kyrychevskyi said that in October 2023 the Russians began the battle for Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine with 50,000 troops, adding: “This is enough for them to launch a battle for another Ukrainian city, even if it is a bloody, protracted battle, which will also result in heavy [Russian] losses.”
Ukrainian forces continue to carry out tasks on the left bank of the Dnipro River, particularly in the vicinity of Krynky, though the village itself has been obliterated by enemy fire, said a spokesman for the ‘Tavria’ operational-strategic group of the Ukrainian army, Dmytro Lykhoviy.
He added: “The situation is not critical, as some media and bloggers interpret it.”
Lykhoviy said that most of the main defensive positions of the Ukrainians inside the village have been destroyed by intensive and protracted enemy shelling.
“The village itself has been completely reduced to a pile of rubble… It is no longer a settlement, but a place where maintaining defense is practically impossible.”
Ukrainian forces have not completely withdrawn from the left bank, Lykhovyi stressed, and continue to inflict considerable damage on the enemy.
He added that the losses the Russians suffered while conducting assaults in the Krynky area have not been precisely calculated, but they are assessed to be “four to five times greater” than Ukrainian losses, especially in terms of combat equipment.
Kyrychevskyi said that in October 2023 the Russians began the battle for Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine with 50,000 troops, adding: “This is enough for them to launch a battle for another Ukrainian city, even if it is a bloody, protracted battle, which will also result in heavy [Russian] losses.”
Ukrainian forces continue to carry out tasks on the left bank of the Dnipro River, particularly in the vicinity of Krynky, though the village itself has been obliterated by enemy fire, said a spokesman for the ‘Tavria’ operational-strategic group of the Ukrainian army, Dmytro Lykhoviy.
He added: “The situation is not critical, as some media and bloggers interpret it.”
Lykhoviy said that most of the main defensive positions of the Ukrainians inside the village have been destroyed by intensive and protracted enemy shelling.
“The village itself has been completely reduced to a pile of rubble… It is no longer a settlement, but a place where maintaining defense is practically impossible.”
Ukrainian forces have not completely withdrawn from the left bank, Lykhovyi stressed, and continue to inflict considerable damage on the enemy.
He added that the losses the Russians suffered while conducting assaults in the Krynky area have not been precisely calculated, but they are assessed to be “four to five times greater” than Ukrainian losses, especially in terms of combat equipment.
Source: PAP, Slidstvo.Info
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