Winding up for a right hook....
Ukraine launches assault to gain strategic foothold on occupied side of Dnipro river
Control of the Kinburn Spit allows for dominance of the Dnipro river entrance and the ports of Kherson and Mykolaiv
Ukraineās military has launched a āsilentā assault on the strategic Kinburn Spit as its
Kherson counteroffensive enters a new phase.
Captain Natalia Humeniuk, a spokesperson for the southern command of Ukraineās Armed Forces, on Tuesday said the operation to liberate the small, sandy peninsula was underway amid reports it had already been recaptured by Ukrainian forces.
āThe most important thing is that the operation continues, and we continue our fight against the enemy,ā she said.
The Kinburn Spit is a small strip of land formed where the Dnipro River meets the Black Sea.
The
outcrop is strategically important because it gives whoever holds it control over the entrance to the Dnipro river, which bisects Ukraine, as well as the ports of Kherson and Mykolaiv.
Vitalii Kim, Mkyolaivās governor, said three settlements on the peninsula needed to be liberated before his region is entirely freed from Russia.
Before the war, the spit was popular with tourists but has since been used by Russian forces to conduct routine artillery and missile strikes on Ukrainian-held territories.
It was used by Moscow to target tug boats and grain barges operating in the mouth of the Dnipro River, according to Ukraineās military.
Ukraineās southern operational command has previously described the area as the āfocus of the enemyās life force, weapons and equipmentā.
Images have been shared on social media appearing to show Ukrainian troops operating in the Dnipro, suggesting they are launching amphibious assaults on the area.
On Tuesday she claimed the storming conditions around the peninsula had prevented Russian forces from gaining a foothold on the Kinburn Spit.
āThe sea helps us. The enemy cannot gain a foothold there because the Ukrainian Armed Forces inflict damage on the enemyās points,ā she added.
Western military analysts claim recapturing the peninsula would give Ukraineās forces a staging post for future operations on the left bank of the Dnipro, where Russia withdrew its forces after
ceding control of the southern city of Kherson.
The Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think-tank, said: āControl of the Kinburn Spit would allow Ukrainian forces to relieve Russian strikes on the Ukrainian-controlled Black Sea coast, increase naval activity in the area, and conduct potential operations to cross to the left (east) bank in Kherson Oblast under significantly less Russian artillery fire compared to a crossing of the Dnipro River.ā
Meanwhile, Russia started a mobilisation drive in occupied Crimea amid mounting fears Ukraine could advance on the region it illegally annexed in 2014.
Ukraineās military reported that men in Crimea have received mobilisation papers despite Russian president Vladimir Putin ordering an end to mobilisation in the rest of the country.
āIn Crimea,
a covert mobilisation to bolster the ranks of occupying forces is ongoing,ā it said.
Analysts have said that the Kremlinās call-up drive has largely been supplied by Russiaās far-flung provinces.
Sergey Melikov, the governor of Dagestan, on Tuesday weighed into the debate with
a rare public criticism of the mobilisation, saying on a Telegram video that it was shameful that top Kremlin officials had not sent their sons to fight in Ukraine in a war that they had said was vital to win for Russiaās survival.
Kremlin-installed authorities in Crimea said the peninsula came under attack by drones on Tuesday.
Mikhail Razvozhayev, the governor of the Sevastopol administrative region, said two drones were shot down and urged residents to āremain calmā.
Crimeaās Moscow-appointed governor said last week that Russiaās defences were being strengthened there as Kyivās forces continued to reclaim territory in neighbouring Kherson.
Control of the Kinburn Spit allows for dominance of the Dnipro river entrance and the ports of Kherson and Mykolaiv
www.telegraph.co.uk
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