Russia has admitted for the first time that some Ukrainian troops have crossed to the east bank of the Dnipro river in the Kherson region.
Russia has conceded for the first time that "small groups" of Ukrainian troops had established positions on the Russian-held side of the Dnipro River.
Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed governor of the part of the Kherson region, which Moscow controls, acknowledged in a statement that Ukrainian forces had managed to cross the river which was seen by Russia as a difficult barrier for Ukraine's soldiers to surmount.
But citing what he said was first-hand information from Russia's military, he said Russian forces had pinned the Ukrainians down and were raining "Hellfire" on them and predicted they would be wiped out.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military said its troops were trying to push back Russian forces along the Dnipro River in the southern Kherson region and called for operational "silence" along what it described as a "fairly fluid" front line.
"Along the front line, which runs along the Dnipro... The pushback from our side is taking place on a line from 3 to 8 kilometers (2-5 miles) along the entire bank from the water's edge," Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for the southern military command, said.
Ukraine said on Tuesday it had secured a foothold on the Russian-occupied eastern bank of the vast river, for the first time confirming an advance that could open a new line of attack towards occupied Crimea.
Source: Dw
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