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Kiev forces attempts to establish a bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper River in the Kherson sector have been reportedly thwarted by the Russian military.
Videos that surfaced online on June 30 and July 1 indicate that Ukrainian troops who managed to land on the left bank a few days ago have been either eliminated or withdrawn. The videos show the aftermath of recent Russian rocket and missile strikes that targeted the stronghold of the attackers near the Antonovsky Bridge.
At least 30 Ukrainains were killed and ten others were wounded in one Russian strike with an Iskander tactical ballistic missile that targeted the bridge.
Despite facing a setback in Kherson, Kiev forces launched several new attacks in the Donetsk and Zaphorohey sectors. New videos from the two sectors showed Russian strikes on a Ukrainian stronghold near Bakhmut and several destroyed tanks and armored vehicles of Kiev forces near Vremesnky.
In addition, a video report by journalist Patrick Lancaster documented recent operations by the Russian military on Kharkiv sectors.
Kiev forces have sustained heavy losses and failed to make any meaningful gains since launching their so-called counteroffensive four weeks ago.
A new report by The Washington Post revealed that the main aim of the counteroffensive was to station long-range weapons near the Crimean Peninsula in order to gain the upper hand in future peace negotiations with Russia.
According to the report, the Ukrainian leadership shared the plans with CIA head William Burns during his secret trip to Kiev in May, where he met with President Vladimir Zelensky.
Kiev plans to end the conflict “on terms that are acceptable to Russia and the Ukrainian people,” the report says. To achieve this, they hope to gain leverage over Moscow by retaking “substantial territory by the fall,” and, “in an ideal scenario,” station artillery and rocket systems on the border with Crimea, where the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is located.
The Washington Post said that Kiev wants to “open negotiations” and demand that “Russia accept whatever security guarantees Ukraine can secure from the West.” by holding the peninsula as a “hostage”.
This plan will be impossible to implement with the current slow advance of Ukrainian troops. If the counteroffensive comes to a full halt before fall, Kiev may find itself forced to negotiate a peace agreement on Russian terms.
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