Beachheads established – Ukrainian military reports advancing over Dnipro

Until now, the southern front has largely run along the Dnipro River (Dnejpr in Russian). The wide river that flows into the Black Sea divides the region and recently also became a major natural barrier on the front. Both the Ukrainian and Russian sides claim to have inflicted heavy casualties there on the other side. One reason why an advance for the Ukrainian armed forces is important is that they can transport heavy military equipment and supplies across the river. A new line of attack could also be opened in the south on the most direct land route to Crimea’s Black Sea peninsula.

So far no hoped-for breakthrough for Ukraine
The reported advance comes after months of fighting that have so far failed to bring Ukraine the breakthrough it hoped for. Russian forces still occupy about 17 percent of Ukraine. They are currently on the offensive again in the east, for example in the area of ​​the Ukrainian-controlled city of Avdiivka and near the Russian-controlled city of Bakhmut. It is said that some of the fiercest battles to date have been fought there. Overall, fighting is currently said to be taking place along the entire front, from east to south.

Russian drone strikes
On Friday evening, Ukraine’s air force said it had repelled Russian drone attacks over the Mykolaiv and Odessa regions in the south. Drones were also intercepted near Zhytomyr in the center and in the Khmelnytskyi region in the west of the country, the air force said. Nine out of ten drones were shot down. Russian forces also fired several C-300 missiles near the front in the Donetsk region in the east.

Since July, the Russian military has stepped up its attacks on Ukrainian ports, especially Odessa, and on grain storage and export infrastructure. Ukrainian energy supply facilities are also repeatedly attacked.