THERE ARE LOSSES – THERE IS NO RESULT: UKRAINE LAUNCHES OFFENSIVE IN KHERSON REGION

The absence of any decent results from the months-long Kiev counteroffensive on the southern frontlines forced the Ukrainian military to attempt to force the Dnieper River in the Kherson region. The recent Ukrainian attempts of massive attacks on the flanks in the area of Rabotino were repelled. In response, the Russian military launched counterattacks north of Verbovoye, Kopani and Novoprokopovka. Heavy artillery duels, mutual drone attacks and airstrikes continue. Apparently, the Ukrainian military command planned to launch an offensive in the Kherson direction after gains on the Zaporozhye frontlines. If Ukrainian forces could advance as far as Tokmak, the launch of the second front and attack from the west should have broken up the Russian grouping and allowed the Ukrainian army to reach the Crimean peninsula. It was for this purpose that the Ukrainian military blew up Kakhovka dam, which led to a regional catastrophe, the deaths of dozens of civilians and the shallowing of the Dnieper riverbed. However, the plans of the Ukrainian command were never destined to come true. The Ukrainian military has not achieved any success in its counteroffensive, and the Russian military is still holding the defense on the eastern bank of the Dnieper, destroying Ukrainian groups moving in the area. On October 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Ukrainians had begun “another long-announced and expected counteroffensive in the Kherson direction. There are losses – there is no result.” On the same day, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the activities of 4 Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups were suppressed near Podstepnoye and Poima in the Kherson region. The Ukrainian military attempted to gain a foothold on the eastern shore near Peschanovka. Having advanced to the villages, they came under massive artillery fire. As a result of the battle, the surviving Ukrainian military were forced to retreat back to the river near the railway bridge, requesting evacuation. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces on the western bank were also covered with Russian fire, reportedly including from the Iskander missile system. As a result of another failed operation, the Ukrainian army lost about 70 servicemen. The coastline was littered with the bodies of dead Ukrainian soldiers. According to reports from the front, some remnants of the Ukrainian group managed to hide on the shore and will try to provide a springboard for further Ukrainian attacks. Kiev authorities are silent about the situation in the Kherson region. At the same time, the Ukrainian military recognizes the intensification of Russian strikes on the western bank of the Dnieper recently. Russian strikes are destroying the places of accumulation of Ukrainian groups aimed to force the Dnieper. Despite heavy losses in manpower, the Ukrainian military continues to increase efforts in the Kherson direction.