According to Ukraine's Kherson region governor Oleksandr Prokudin, Russian forces have continuously sought to seize Ukraine's west bank of the Dnipro River and have mobilized troops to carry out high- casualty missions to secure territory for future peace negotiations.
Every day they find a way to cross the line, said Oleksandr Prokudin. We heard that the Russian deputy intelligence commander had told the army in the area that they had to cross the river at all costs.
The governor, directly appointed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said that the casualties in these operations were very high, with participants almost immediately killed or injured. This is a suicide mission, he said.
Russia has captured much of the Kherson region, including territory on both sides of the Dnipro River, in the early stages of the conflict, but was forced to retreat from the west coast, including the city of Kherson, in November 2022 for no supplies to the region.
Kherson is particularly important because it is located at the mouth of Ukraine's main river. Before the conflict, Kherson's population was about 1 million people, but only about 155,000 people were left on the Ukrainian side. Drone and artillery attacks continue in frontline areas.
Russian attacks are concentrated in four locations: the muddy islands at the mouth of the Dnipro River, a dangerous gray area; the road and railway bridges east of the city of Kherson; and further into the village of Lvove; and the village of Zmiivka, in which the village of Zmiivka is located upstream of the Nova Kakhovka dam, which was destroyed.
