On the eve, it was reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine began an offensive in a number of directions in the south of the country. Among other things, offensive actions are also carried out in the Kherson region, most of which since the end of February 2022 was captured by the Russian army. Officially, the Ukrainian army does not speak of the beginning of a large -scale offensive operation in the south, urging citizens of the country and eyewitnesses to remain calm and not give too many details of what is happening so as not to interfere with the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. However, Ukrainian officials reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine broke through the defense borders of the Russian Army in the Kherson region and are actively shelling Russian military facilities and supply routes. The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that Ukraine has failed.
Based on the analysis of data from open sources, military analyst, professor of strategic research at St. Andrews Fillips O’Brien, evaluates the actions of the Ukrainian army near Kherson. His statements are given by the Russian BBC service.
According to O’Braien, this is a pre -planned operation, since in front of it the Ukrainian army has accumulated ammunition and began to engage in opposition to the Russian forces along the entire front line in the region. At the same time, there are signs of a coordinated campaign of informing about what is happening in the media.
Further, a military analyst notes that since attacks take place along the entire distinction line in the Kherson region, Ukraine’s actions look like many probe operations designed to find weaknesses in defense, points where weaker or demoralized troops are deployed.
Fire from a large distance over the bridges continues, and this shows that Ukraine intends to prevent Russian troops to leave – especially with equipment. The Armed Forces are also trying to prevent the supply of a Russian group, according to O’Brien.
The expert writes that he is inclined to be very careful about the expectations of a crushing Ukrainian breakthrough and the environment of Russian troops – unless their quick collapse occurs. “Probably, [it is worth waiting] more active efforts to exhaust and attempts to find gaps. But Ukraine will not strive to expose its troops if the Russians will fight fiercely,” O’Brien believes.