Ukrainian troops 'hold out' as Russia claims it has seized bridgehead on Dnieper

A video of an alleged Russian attack on Krynki was published on Telegram

The Dnieper remains a natural barrier between the two forces. After the recapture of Kherson at the end of 2022, Ukrainian troops tried to gain a foothold on the opposite bank of the river as a potential springboard for an attack on the occupied south of the country.

Russia has also launched strong attacks on Robotain, a salient carved out at great cost from Russian-held territory on the Zaporozhye front line during the Ukrainian counter-offensive last year.

The latest Defense intelligence reports on the war read: » Russian forces have strengthened. attacks on several points on the front line over the past week were likely intended to stretch Ukrainian forces.

Pasi Paroinen of the group Black Bird, which analyzes satellite imagery and social media content from the battlefield, told the New York Times: “They're trying in different places, testing Ukrainian defenses. They explore and look for weak points.”

Putin called the capture of Avdievka a “turning point” on the front line, presenting medals to pilots at a base near Moscow.

In occupied Ukraine, the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Valery Gerasimov, also presented medals to military personnel for the capture of Avdiivka. “Today, the main goal that was set has been fulfilled — Avdiivka has been liberated,” he said, as evidenced by a video published by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

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The capture of the city, now completely destroyed, occurred after several months of Russian attacks. Moscow has been trying to capture Avdeevka for months, and according to recent reports by a Russian military blogger, 16,000 troops have been killed or seriously wounded in the campaign.

Kyiv withdrew its troops from the city to avoid encirclement of its troops. led to an exodus of civilians, many of them elderly, from nearby towns.

Marina Batrak, a resident of Selidovo, told Reuters she was leaving her home in the town of Selidovo as the Russians grew closer.

“They got to Nevelskoye,” she said as charity workers helped her into the minibus. “Another 20-30 km and that’s it. They will destroy us too. Did you see how these cities were wiped off the face of the earth?

Another resident, Valentina Kitush, said that the fall of Avdiivka was the last straw for her.

“The shelling intensified. And after our troops left Avdiivka, now it will be even worse,” she said. “They bomb and destroy everything. Wait until they destroy us? I made a decision. I'm leaving.»