Kremlin Stays Mum About Ukraine’s Army on East Bank of Dnipro River – Key Counteroffensive Goal

On Monday, the Kremlin – unlike Russian milbloggers – declined to comment about the Ukrainian army achieving a key goal of its counteroffensive – crossing over to the east side of the Dnipro River.

“We do not comment on the course of the special military operation itself, that is the prerogative of our specialists, our military,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, as reported by AFP.

Peskov’s comments follow Russian media reports earlier in the day – that were published and then quickly retracted – that Russian troops were “regrouping” in the occupied Kherson region, where Ukrainian forces crossed the Dnipro about a month ago.

As the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported, geolocated footage published on Monday showed that Ukrainian forces were making marginal advances further into the village of Krynnky, which lies some 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of the city of Kherson and about 2 kilometers (1.3 miles) from the river’s shore.

Meanwhile, the WarGonzo Telegram account, close to Moscow's forces, said: “Artillery is working on Ukrainian positions,” adding: “But the Ukrainian army have encroached and do not plan to leave.”

Russian forces have tried and failed to push Ukrainian forces out of Krynky and Ukrainains are conducting offensive operations south of there, around the villages of Poima, Pishchanivka, and Pidstepne, Russian milbloggers wrote.

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As Kyiv Post reported last month – according to multiple reports, elements of Ukraine’s 35th, 36th, 37th and 38th Marine Brigades had crossed the Dnipro River using small boats on Oct. 22.

Also, drone images of a single Ukrainian BTR-4 armored personnel carrier being ferried across the river aboard a Soviet-era amphibious transport – were reportedly taken on Nov. 6 or Nov. 7.

Drone image of Dnipro River crossing 

Crossing the Dnipro River, the effective front line in the southern region, has been a key aim of the Ukrainian counter-offensive, which was launched this summer. 

For the past month, Russian milbloggers have been complaining about the Kremlin’s slow response to the Ukrainian presence.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin meeting in Moscow on Nov. 13. Photo: AFP

At the end of October, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the commander in charge of the Russian “Dnepr” Grouping of Forces, allegedly in connection with Colonel General Oleg Makarevich’s, as one Russian milblogger put it, “ignoring the situation on the ground and sweeping what is happening under the carpet.”