Ukraine has claimed that Russian troops crossing the Dnipro (or Dnieper, in Russian) river in the region of Kherson, a southern city occupied by Moscow, risked being trapped there after all the existing bridges. “The only means of crossing the river for the occupier are pontoons near the Antonivski bridge but they will not be able to fully meet their needs”declared on Ukrainian television a regional deputy, Serguiï Khlan, on Sunday August 14.
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According to him, “Russia is transferring its command centers from the right bank [Ouest] from the river to the left [Est], aware that in the event of an 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 could always “cross the damaged bridges on foot”.
Russian troops seized at the start of the invasion of Ukraine from Kherson on the Dnipro River, the only regional capital they have so far managed to conquer. They have advanced a few tens of kilometers to the west, but the three bridges (two road and one rail) which cross the river in the area they control have been repeatedly bombarded in recent weeks.
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The most important is the Antonivski bridge, in the suburbs 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. “Yesterday [vendredi], our armed forces finally and effectively struck the bridge near Nova Kakhovka. The Russians can no longer transfer equipment, ammunition and even food for their troops”Serguiï Khlan had already said on Saturday evening.
The UK Ministry of Defense confirmed in its daily briefing on Saturday that “the two main road bridges giving access to the Russian-occupied pocket of territory on the west bank of the Dnipro are probably out of order”.