Aug 31, 2026
Ukrainian forces have largely isolated Russian troops on the temporarily occupied Kinburn Spit, disrupting supply routes and destroying the artillery previously deployed there, Ukrainian military personnel told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Crimea.Realities project on August 31.
Around 2,500 Russian troops remain on the Kinburn Peninsula, according to the Ukrainian servicemen interviewed by Crimea.Realities. Drone strikes and remote mining have reportedly restricted deliveries of ammunition, fuel, and food, while much of the Russian force has shifted farther east beyond the village of Heroiske.
A Ukrainian reconnaissance commander with the call sign “Yava” said Russian logistics previously ran from the direction of Zaliznyi Port toward Heroiske before supplies were moved deeper onto the peninsula.
“They are screaming in intercepted communications that they cannot organize logistics, that they do not want to go there because it means death,” Yava told Crimea.Realities. “The spit has become a trap for them,” he added.
Ukrainian troops said Russian forces had previously operated artillery, self-propelled guns, and other equipment directly from the Kinburn Spit, but systematic strikes have eliminated most of that capability.
According to Yava, Russian forces can now reach coastal areas of Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region only with longer-range artillery positioned in the temporarily occupied part of Kherson region.
Ukrainian units have also remotely mined roads used for Russian rotations and supply runs, targeting cars, motorcycles, and quad bikes carrying personnel and equipment.
The operation is complicated by the continued presence of civilians. Ukrainian servicemen told Crimea.Realities that Russian troops sometimes wear civilian clothing and operate from residential buildings, requiring Ukrainian forces to confirm targets before striking.
The Kinburn Peninsula lies between the Black Sea and the Dnipro-Buh estuary, directly opposite the Ukrainian-controlled city of Ochakiv. Russian forces have occupied the area since 2022, placing them close to Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region and the Odesa-Mykolaiv transport corridor.
In November 2025, Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said the protected coastal ecosystem had been “practically destroyed” by fighting, fires, pollution, and the construction of military infrastructure.
There are only two roads into the Spit, so it will be quite easy for Ukraine to cut logistics. If they go any further East of Heroiske, they will be back in Crimea.
I wonder why they haven’t already done that.
Maybe because they know once they get to Crimea they’re totally screwed and only one way out.