The Ukrainian army advances in the area of Krynki.
3.11.2023
The Armed forces of Ukraine hold positions and continue offensive actions on the left bank of the Dnipro in Kherson region.
They have attacked near Poima and Peschanivka (13 kilometres southeast of Kherson and 3 kilometres from the Dnipro) and advanced near Krynki. This is stated in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), citing Russian military correspondents.
At the same time, Ukrainian military observer Kostyantyn Mashovets said that Ukrainian troops are holding positions near Krynki and the Antonivsky road and railway bridges.
According to him, the occupation troops’ grouping in the Kherson direction consists of 8 brigades, 17 regiments, 8 battalions and 4 battalion-level detachments, including BARS (Combat Reserve of the Russian Federation) and Storm-Z units, and Russian reserves in this direction include 2 motorised rifle regiments and 2 reserve motorised rifle battalions.
The Estonian edition of Postimees notes that more and more information is appearing – mostly from Russian bloggers – that Ukrainian special forces are expanding bridgeheads on the left bank of the Dnipro.
The Ukrainian military command does not comment directly on what is happening, but hints at success.
“This is certainly a very important development, and Russian troops are being pushed back from the banks of the Dnipro,” Postimees notes.
So far, it has not been noticed that Ukraine is preparing to move its larger forces across the river anytime soon.
Russians Sound the Alarm
The Russian military continues to report a difficult situation for them on the left bank of the Dnipro, where the Ukrainian armed forces are conducting a landing operation and expanding their bridgehead at several sites along the shoreline.
At the same time, the Ukrainian army is operating under the powerful cover of artillery and tanks, which are covering the positions of the Russians from the right bank and preventing them from approaching the AFU.
This is reported by the GREY ZONE Telegram channel close to the mercenaries of the PMC “Wagner”. The AFU fire is so dense that the occupants have nowhere to hide.
At the same time, the mass use of FPV drones has become a real nightmare for the Russians: the report notes that the range of the AFU kamikaze drones reaches 12 kilometres, and they move in large swarms in groups of 15 units, attacking concentrations of Russian hardware and manpower.
According to the report, Russian electronic warfare systems are completely absent here. “Evacuation of the wounded is difficult. I will not even mention the removal of the dead. Bringing up water and food is also in most cases almost impossible,” Z-mercenary writes.
https://charter97.org/en/news/2023/11/3/570119/
That’s brave, but supporting the troops across the river sure is a problem. Which leaves me wondering: Does the Dnipro freeze over in winter?
I know it freezes in Kyiv, I have seen it myself. It does freeze in the Kherson region between January and March, but I doubt it could support tanks or other heavy vehicles.
I’ve seen it frozen in Kyiv, not sure how thick the ice is, never seen anyone out on it, unlike the river in Ivano-Frankivsk.
I have. Fishermen go out and chop an hole in the ice. Not my idea of fun.
I’ve seen men fishing in the middle of the frozen river at Kyiv last year. Not sure if it was thick enough to carry a vehicle, though.
I recall an article that Germany and or the UK provided portable bridges Don’t remember much beyond that.
They were a big issue just before the start of Ukraine’s offensive. Forbes had an article about them, as I recall.
Only sometimes. As to be expected, it depends on the winter.