KYIV — Russian forces carried out a massive attack Sunday on the Ukraine-controlled part of the Kherson region following reports that Ukrainian troops had advanced on the Russian-occupied side of the Dnipro River.
According to Natalia Humeniuk, Ukrainian Army South Command’s spokesperson, on April 23 Russian troops launched six guided aerial bombs and 14 Lancet kamikaze drones on populated areas of the Kherson region. They drew together new artillery units and launched an aerial attack against Ukrainian positions.
“Although 50 percent of the drones were destroyed, there were hits. More than 30 residential buildings and a school in one of the settlements were destroyed. There are dead and wounded civilians,” Humeniuk said.
She added that the shelling barrage was provoked by “overblown news reports about Ukrainian troops establishing new positions on the left bank of Kherson region.”
On Saturday, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War think tank reported that Ukrainian forces had established positions on the bank of the Dnipro River north of Oleshky, a town 7 kilometers southwest of Kherson, citing Russian military bloggers and geolocated footage.
“Ukrainian troops advanced up to the northern outskirts of the settlement on the E97 highway, as well as west of Dachi (10 kilometers south of Kherson City),” ISW wrote in its regular war update on Saturday.
Humeniuk at first refused to confirm or deny the think tank’s assessment, asking Ukrainians to be patient. But she later said ISW’s report “preceded actual reality and ran ahead a little.”
“One must pay attention to the conclusions of analysts and understand that these are their assumptions … And one must trust the military, who really perform the same combat work,” she stated.
