South Front
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According to the reports from the southern Ukrainian front lines, on the morning of June 15, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) attempted to cross the Dnieper River and land on the eastern coast which is under the Russian control.
The Ukrainian landing operation was spotted in the area of the town of Golaya Pristan located in the southern Skadovsk district of the Kherson region.A group of about 40 Ukrainian servicemen on board four military boats crossed the Dnieper where numerous small islands are located. While one of the boats was ordered to distract the Russian military, the three other crews attempted to land on the Russian shore.
The military operation of the AFU was timely spotted by Russian forces. As a result, Ukrainian assault failed. The first boat was sunk by Russian fire. The others managed to escape back to the western coast of the river.
This is likely the first attempt of the Ukrainian military to cross the Dnieper River after the dam of the Kakhovskaya HPP was destroyed on June 6. According to the preliminary results of the investigation, the Kakhovskaya HPP was destroyed by a series of strikes of the AFU which targeted the upper part of the hydraulic facilities, where the valves were located. The water went through the halls in an uncontrolled turbulent flow, flooding the coastal zone. On the Russian side alone, at least 17 civilians went missing, dozens more were injured. Dozens of coastal settlements were flooded.
Kakhovka water reservoir dried up:
Full runoff of water from coastal areas is expected by about June 20. The water is almost gone from the cities of Golaya Pristan and Alyoshki.
Despite Kiev’s attempts to blame Russia for the disaster, it is the Ukrainian military that benefits from the destruction of the dam. The AFU tried to cross the river for several months, after the Russian military left the west bank in the Kherson region. Today, after the Russian military positions and minefields on the eastern bank were destroyed by the river, Ukrainian assault groups resumed their attempts to create a stronghold on Russian territory.
The military operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are most likely not aimed at leading to any strategically important gains on the ground, since attempts to cross the river are complex and risky. However, amid the ongoing defeats of the Ukrainian military on the front line near Orekhovo and Velikaya Novoselka, Kiev’s attempts to distract the Russian military and provoke fighting along the Dnieper River are expected to escalate.
