image source,Getty Images
Ukrainian soldiers prepare artillery in the Kherson area on the southern front.
The Ukrainian military claims to have breached the first line of defense in the Russian-occupied Kherson region.
According to reports, the attack was a long-awaited counter-offensive in Kyiv to retake the southern regions of the country.
This follows weeks of attacks by Ukraine aimed at cutting off the main supply routes for Russian forces in the region. But the Russian military claimed that the Ukrainian army suffered “significant losses” in a failed attack.
Neither Ukraine nor Russia’s claims have been independently verified.
Russian forces have occupied large swathes of the Kherson region since the February 24 invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier this week, Operation Kakhovka in southern Ukraine said a regiment of Russian-backed forces had left positions in the Kherson region. The team added that Russian paratroopers who provided backup had fled the battlefield.
Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to the Ukrainian president’s office, said the Ukrainian armed forces “break through the front in several places”.
Meanwhile, witnesses said more explosions were heard in the cities of Kherson and Nova Kakhovka, about 55 kilometers (34 miles) northeast of the regional capital of Kherson. In recent weeks, the key crossing point between the two places across the Dnipro River has been repeatedly targeted by the Ukrainian army.
Russia’s state-run news agency Ria Novosti said the city of Novakakhovka lost power and water overnight.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a stern warning to the Russian army in a late-night televised speech: “If Russian soldiers want to survive, now is the time for them to flee. Go home!”
In addition, Zelensky and other senior officials were tight-lipped about the details of the counterattack. They also urged Ukrainian nationals to be patient.
Responding to Ukrainian claims, the Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian forces had attempted to launch an offensive in Kherson and the neighboring Nikolayev region. The Russian state-run news agency quoted the ministry as saying the Ukrainian operation had failed and that the Ukrainian army had “suffered heavy losses”.
Officials in Kyiv claimed they used a US-supplied Himas rocket system to destroy three bridges across the Dnieper River.
According to Western military sources, Kyiv’s counter-offensive action is to target the Russian troops stationed on the right bank (west) of the Dnieper River, with the ultimate goal of retaking the entire Kherson area. Moscow has always relied on these bridges to supply its troops.
Analysis: Why is Kherson important?
Putting aside how successful Ukraine’s counter-offensive has been so far, it’s clear that Kherson has become a key battleground in recent days and weeks.
But why is Ukraine investing huge human and material resources to compete with Russia for control?
One of the most obvious explanations is its geographic location. Kherson is located in southern Ukraine, on the Black Sea coast at the mouth of the Dnipro River.
Kherson is a major port city just about 60 miles (about 100 kilometers) from Crimea, which was annexed by Russia, and serves as a gateway for shipping, navy and other important sea routes.
Not far east of the city is the source of the Northern Crimean Canal, which provides a large portion of the Crimean peninsula’s freshwater supply.
In effect, the city of Kherson acts as a bridge between the Crimea peninsula, annexed by Russia since 2014, and the rest of Ukraine.
In addition, Kherson remains the only major Ukrainian city so far captured and successfully captured by Russian forces throughout the war.
image source,Getty Images
The banner in the man’s hand reads: Kherson is Ukraine
Analysis: What challenges might the Ukrainian army face in its counteroffensive?
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner
Retaking Kherson from the Russians will be a major challenge for Ukraine.
The southern Ukrainian city of about 280,000 people was captured early in the war with little resistance from Russian troops. As a result, the Russian army has had months to prepare for the battle, bring in reinforcements and prepare for any counter-offensive.
Since the invasion began in February, the Ukrainian side has been fighting an almost exclusively defensive battle, holding up a staunch resistance to overwhelming Russian forces. The Ukrainian army has little experience in offensive operations, which usually require different skills, superiority of force, and a large amount of ammunition and follow-up troops.
The Russians were able to take territory in places like the Donbass and Mariupol because they would not hesitate to turn a town to rubble with heavy artillery fire, with little regard for civilian casualties.
Ukraine, however, will be limited in these respects, and it does not want to see its important port city razed to the ground.
But, in Ukraine’s favor, the growing number of long-range weapons from the West could cut off Russian supply lines. Plus, it’s their land, and their determination to reclaim it gives them more motivation than most Russian invaders.
Zaporozhye nuclear power plant
image source,Reuters
The Kyiv counteroffensive targeted the Russian troops stationed on the right (west) bank of the Dnieper River, with the ultimate goal of retaking the entire Kherson region. Moscow has always relied on these bridges to supply its troops.
The city of Kherson, which had a population of 290,000 before the war, was the only regional capital occupied by Russian troops, and is currently run by local officials backed by Moscow.
Officials in the Kherson region have already moved ahead with plans to hold a referendum on formally joining Russia, Russia’s Tass news agency reported. This prompted the United States to accuse Russia of possible annexation of occupied southern Ukraine.
Last month, Russia said its military focus was no longer just in eastern Ukraine, but also in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in southern Ukraine.
Another thing that came into focus on Monday (August 29): Russian officials in the Zaporozhye region claimed that a Ukrainian missile strike had punched a hole in the roof of a fuel depot at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
However, this claim has not been independently verified.
Recently, Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of shelling Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which was seized by Russia in early March. Moscow has Ukrainian personnel to operate the plant.
Last week, Zelensky said the world was on the verge of a radiation disaster from the plant.
The head of an inspection team from the United Nations nuclear watchdog said they were expected to arrive at the plant later this week to investigate.
Analysis: The deadlock could be broken
By Hugo Bachega, BBC correspondent in Kyiv
For some time, it had been expected to see a major Ukrainian offensive to retake Kherson. Now, we may see that action unfold, although any action is unlikely to be easy.
Occupied since the beginning of the war, Kherson is one of the largest Ukrainian cities in Russian hands.
For weeks, Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted Russian strongholds far from the front lines, deep in the occupied territories. And this is indeed possible because of the advanced weapons provided by the West.
Moreover, this had a destabilizing effect on the invading Russian forces. Before, the war seemed to have reached a stalemate, and neither Ukraine nor Russia had made significant military progress.
That may be about to change.