Ukraine Says It Has Established 'Several Bridgeheads' Along East Bank Of Dnieper River

The Ukrainian military says it has established "several bridgeheads" on the eastern banks of the Dnieper River in Russian-occupied territory of the southern Kherson region following a "series of successful operations."

The Ukrainian Marine Corps said in a statement published on Facebook on November 17 that operations were continuing on the eastern banks of the Dnieper and that Russian forces had suffered heavy losses "in manpower and equipment."

Ukrainian forces are trying to push Russian forces away from the Dnieper to stop the shelling of civilian areas on the Ukrainian-held west bank, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on November 17.

Russian authorities in the Kherson region and Russian state news agencies earlier this week acknowledged that the river had been crossed by Ukrainian forces.

Russia's TASS and RIA Novosti news agencies, citing the Russian Defense Ministry, reported this week that Russian commanders had ordered a "regrouping" of forces amid heavy fighting on the eastern banks of the Dnieper.

The stories were withdrawn without explanation within minutes of their publication on November 13, and the Russian Defense Ministry described the reports as a "provocation."

On November 15, Russian authorities in the Kherson region for the first time acknowledged the presence of Ukrainian troops on the eastern banks of the Dnieper, saying they were concentrated near a railway bridge leading to the village of Krynky.

The Ukrainian operations center on a 45-kilometer stretch of Russian-controlled territory opposite Kherson, the regional capital retaken by Ukrainian forces one year ago.

The Dnieper River is seen as a formidable barrier to Ukraine's months-long counteroffensive to retake Russian-controlled territory in southern Ukraine. To this point, the Ukrainian counteroffensives launched in June in the southeast and east have thus far not produced the anticipated results, prompting concerns from some of Ukraine's Western allies.

SEE ALSO: Bridgehead On The Dnieper: Russia Struggles To Contain A Ukrainian River Crossing

Reports that Ukrainian forces have transported heavy military equipment and troops across the river and set up beachheads have fueled suggestions that Kyiv could be poised for a breakthrough on the southern front and open a new line of attack in the direction of the Crimean Peninsula, which has been controlled by Russia since 2014, when it was seized and illegally annexed by Moscow.

“The Ukrainians have seen an opportunity there and taken it,” said a Western official with intelligence knowledge speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive information.

Ukraine has portions of three brigades across the river and is expected to make small gains as the Russians have so far been unable to push them back, according to the official and others who spoke with the AP.

The head of Ukraine's presidential office, Andriy Yermak, confirmed earlier this week that Ukraine had established a foothold on the eastern side of the Dnieper River. He also said Ukrainian troops had covered 70 percent of the distance toward Crimea, which he said Kyiv aims to "demilitarize."