In a devastated village near the frontline in southern Ukraine, the thud of Russian artillery is a constant reminder of the bitter battle ahead for kyiv troops in an expected major counter-offensive.
Traces of the destruction are everywhere in the village which was liberated from Russian occupation after intense fighting, and not named for security reasons.
Nearly every house there has been flattened or heavily damaged, and all traces of residents have disappeared, while burnt-out cars litter the ground riddled with gaping rocket craters.
Now a small detachment of Ukrainian soldiers holds the position in sandbag trenches, at the foot of destroyed buildings, constantly on the lookout for enemy drones. A couple of dogs and a cat keep them company during these long days of waiting in the heat.
kyiv has vowed to launch a counter-offensive to retake the strategic Kherson region, and President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that Ukrainian forces were advancing “step by step”.
For now, the troops believe that Ukraine is doing well to hold the front line. “Some are scared; but what can we do? We have to defend our homeland, because if I don’t, my children will be forced to do it,” Stanislav, 49, who left his wife and two children behind to join the volunteer troops, from the beginning of the Russian invasion.
However, “we really don’t have enough artillery”, warns Stanislav, according to whom “if we fire 8 times, the Russians retaliate 48 times”. “For the moment, they have the superiority in equipment”, judges the volunteer who comes from the neighboring region of Odessa. “But we are holding on! »
“Free Kherson, that’s for sure”
As Moscow launched the bulk of its armed forces in a bloody assault in the eastern region of Donbass, the battle of Kherson could prove pivotal.
Kherson was the first region to fall to Moscow, after the invasion began, and its recapture would be a major symbolic and strategic victory for kyiv.
“We will liberate Kherson, that’s for sure. We will not leave it to the Russians,” says Oleksandr, a 45-year-old soldier. “We must resist, then destroy the enemy troops. »
On Sunday, the adviser to the head of the regional military administration loyal to kyiv, Sergiy Khlan, affirmed that the region would be “definitively liberated” by September. And added: “Our army is advancing frankly, we are moving from a defensive phase to a counter-offensive”.
Capturing the city of Kherson, the region’s capital, and surrounding lands would expel Russian forces from the mainland north of its stronghold in Crimea, and destroy the Kremlin’s chances of launching a westward offensive along the sea. Black, to Odessa.
The impending battle will also be a key test of whether Ukrainian troops, armed with new, longer-range weapons from the West, can still hope to repel the Russians and liberate the entire country.
According to kyiv and Western intelligence services, Moscow is strengthening its defenses in the south, to try to avoid any offensive. In addition, the Russians stepped up their strikes against the nearby town of Mykolaiv, in an apparent attempt to halt any Ukrainian advances, according to the same sources.
” We are ready “
Ukrainian forces used American-supplied Hilars guided missile systems, which have a range of 80 km, to destroy weapons stockpiles, command posts and disrupt supply lines in the occupied area.
They also destroyed a key bridge over the Dnieper River, which connects Kherson to Kyiv, attempting to isolate the Russian troops deployed there.
On the ground, Private Alex does not budge: he wants to see more Himars sent to the front in the south. But Ukraine has only a handful to spread over more than 1,000 km of front lines.
Anyway, “we are ready to counter-attack”, he promises.