Ukraine managed to cut off about 10,000 Russian soldiers on the right bank of the Dnipro River.
Here, the invaders are still holding a relatively small swath of land and one major city, thus laying the groundwork for a long-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive.
This has the potential to deal a severe military defeat and reputational blow to the regime of bloodthirsty Moscow dictator Vladimir Putin.
Repercussions Could Be Huge
Russians have managed to conquer about one-fifth of Ukraine, mostly in the east and south; though the invasion has turned into a bloodbath for Putin’s hordes.
As per Ukrainian estimates, between 43,500 and 90,000 Russians have been killed in battle so far. Apart from that, Ukrainian defenders destroyed more than 11,000 pieces of Russian military equipment.
If the Ukrainian counteroffensive is successful, the potential loss of Kherson is likely to cause major image and reputational problems for the regime of Putin in Russia.
Here, the majority of the population seems to have been brainwashed into believing Ukrainians are “Nazis” and therefore supports the war.
Ukrainian artillery struck the Antonovsky Bridge in Kherson again last night.
Some of the engineering equipment the Russians were using to repair the bridge was probably also destroyed…🔥pic.twitter.com/bgNkLkQeH0
— Jimmy (@JimmySecUK) August 14, 2022
Road bridge of the Nova Kakhovka dam is now unusable.
This means Russians now only have pontoon bridges to transfer equipment.
Logistical nightmare for them 😂
— WarMonitor🇺🇦 (@WarMonitor3) August 13, 2022
Isolated Russians Rely Mainly on Stockpiles They’ve Built
Ukraine’s forces have managed to destroy the last bridge Russians have been using in order to resupply their troops in the occupied Kherson region. This number is about 10,000, according to Ukrainian estimates.
After previously damaging the main bridge in the region, the Antonovsky Bridge, and another bridge on the smaller Ingulets river, Ukrainians destroyed the last remaining bridge – the Nova Khakhovka Dam bridge further to the east, The Daily Mail reported.
The Operational Command South of the Ukrainian army announced on Sunday that the bridge has been “taken out of operation.”
Serhii Khlan, a member of the Kherson Regional Council, said on Facebook that Russians have now lost the capability to “turn over their equipment” and resupply their troops on the west bank of the Dnipro River. It is about 1,000 feet wide at its narrowest point.
On Saturday, an update by the British military intelligence announced even if Russians try and succeed in repairing the bridges, they would still remain a key vulnerability and liability.
The UK Ministry of Defense noted “several thousand Russian troops” are now stranded on the west bank of the Dnipro. Their resupply relies on only a couple of “pontoon ferry crossing points.”
The brief points out the size of military stockpiles that Russians already managed to set up on the west bank of the river are going to determine the ability of their troops to withstand a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
If Ukrainians manage to liberate Kherson, besides humiliating Putin and likely boosting their sea and river trade, they would be able to use it as a launchpad for trying to liberate the rest of the occupied parts of Southern Ukraine.
This article appeared in MorningPress and has been published here with permission.These are the indicative estimates of Russia’s combat losses as of Aug. 14, according to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/pNlcIAOFXZ
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) August 14, 2022
