NAfter the Ukrainian army encircled and liberated the town of Lyman in eastern Ukraine a few days ago, Ukrainian forces are advancing from several sides in the direction of Cherson in southern Ukraine. Particularly noteworthy was the advance from the northeast along the Dnipro River. There the Ukrainians were able to liberate, among others, the cities of Solota Balka and Novoleksandrivka. Anton Zerashchenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, posted various videos on Telegram on Monday and Tuesday that purported to document the liberation of the villages.
The Russian military blog “Rybar” even talks about the “collapse” of the Russian front. Accordingly, Ukrainian units captured the town of Datsany further down on Monday and advanced further south about 100 kilometers as the crow flies from Cherson.
According to experts, the Ukrainian armed forces are trying to advance to the town of Nova Khakovka in Dnipro. It is important for the water supply of the Crimea and the crossing of the Dnipro. Russian troops captured Nova Khakovka shortly after the start of the war. Since Soviet times, there is a reservoir, a hydroelectric station and a branch of the North Crimean Canal.
Occupiers opened the floodgates on the canal that supplied most of Crimea in the spring after Russia seized the peninsula in 2014. Ukraine However, it was filtered. Next to the Antonivka Bridge near Kherson, the only crossing of the Dnipro in the region is the dam at Nova Khakovka. The Ukrainian military has severely damaged both structures in recent weeks with rocket attacks, rendering them impassable. However, the massive dam was easy to repair, so the only route the occupying Russian forces could retreat west of the Dnipro.
Western representatives, who cannot be identified in more detail, put their strength at about 20,000 soldiers. Some of them were part of the best equipped units of the invading army. According to the source, there is an ongoing debate among the Russian military leadership about whether to withdraw troops in an orderly fashion or hold the area west of the Dnipro – linked to the growing encirclement threat. However, for political reasons, withdrawal is not possible Russia The area where the regional capital Cherson is located is now annexed. They say the situation there could become increasingly chaotic as an “increasingly desperate Russian force retreats to the river.”
Heavy casualties in the retreat from Lyman
According to Western representatives, a similar situation arose in Lyman over the weekend and troops paid a heavy price in blood. Ukrainian troops approached the strategically important junction from three directions. There, 3,000 to 5,000 Russian soldiers were in danger of being completely encircled: elements of the 20th Combined Arms Army, the Northern Fleet and the Defense Forces.
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