What is going on on the left bank of the Dnipro river in Kherson region. Ukraine prepares for Russian attacks on its energy grid as Russia emphasizes the use of drones. A Russian artillery shell hit a car outside Kherson, injuring two-month-old baby and her mother, and killing the baby’s grandfather.
What is going on along Dnipro’s left bank in Kherson region?
Ukrainian troops have established a bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnipro river in Kherson region. They have been holding ground near the village of Krynky for about a month now. Analysts allege that the raids could be part of a broader operation. Meanwhile Russian state news agencies published alerts on Monday saying Moscow was moving troops to “more favorable positions” east of the Dnipro, only to withdraw the information minutes later.
In a series of alerts on November 13, the RIA state news agency said the command of Russia’s Dnepr group of forces had decided to relocate troops to “more favorable positions” east of the Dnipro river. It said that, after the regrouping, the Dnepr force would release some troops to be deployed in offensives on other fronts. Russia’s defense ministry later said that the sending of a false report about the regrouping of troops in the region is “a provocation.”
In a report on November 12, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) gave updates on the situation around Ukraine’s bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnipro in Kherson region.
Geolocated footage published on November 12 shows that Ukrainian forces made marginal advances further into Krynky. Russian milbloggers continued to claim that Russian forces tried and failed to push Ukrainian forces from Krynky and that Ukrainian forces are conducting offensive operations near Poyma, Pishchanivka, and Pidstepne.
The milbloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces have transferred additional personnel to the Krynky area and that Ukrainian forces intend to cut Russian logistics lines and strike infrastructure connecting the Russian front line to rear areas in occupied Crimea, Kherson Oblast, and Zaporizhia Oblast.
One milblogger claimed that Ukrainian forces are advancing towards the E58 Oleshky-Kamianka highway and expressed concern that Ukrainian forces may threaten Russian positions near the E58-E97 intersection south of the Poyma-Pishchanivka-Pidstepne line, ISW said.
Ukraine’s military has not officially commented on the operation. It only said that Ukrainian troops continue “combat work”.
Russian artillery shell hits car outside Kherson, injuring two-month-old baby and her mother, killing baby’s grandfather
A car was struck by Russian shelling on the outskirts of Kherson, killing a 64-year-old man, and injuring a two-month-old baby girl and a 36-year-old woman, her mother.
At around 11:40 a.m. local time, Russian forces fired artillery at a road toward a village on the outskirts of Kherson. A car with a man, a woman, and a baby inside was struck by a shell, the Kherson regional prosecutor’s office said.
The man, thought to be the baby’s grandfather, sustained injuries incompatible with life. He was driving the car. The woman, thought to be the baby’s mother, suffered traumatic amputation of both legs. She was fighting for her life, the message said. The baby suffered a blast injury and was taken to hospital. She is in moderate condition.
The family was returning from a medical appointment, head of the Kherson regional military administration Oleksandr Prokudin said. The car caught fire following the artillery strike.
Ukraine prepares for Russian attacks on energy grid as Russia emphasizes use of drones
This winter, Russia will emphasize the use of attack drones, and will use more of them, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Air Force Command, Colonel Yuriy Ihnat told Radio NV.
Citing a representative of the Main Intelligence Department of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, Andriy Yusov, Ihnat said that Russia had stockpiled around 800 precision missiles. “Last year, beginning in September 2022 when the occupying forces began to pummel our critical and energy infrastructure facilities, [Russia] launched more than a thousand cruise missiles in six months. They didn’t fire all the rockets they had, they had to keep around 30 per cent in stock,” Ihnat said.
“Last year they had many more missiles than now, not S-300 or air-launched Kh-59 and Kh-32, or Onyx missiles, but Kh-101 and Kh-555 types of missiles,” he said.
“This winter, [Russia] will emphasize the use of attack drones, and will use more of them. Last year, they equally used drones and missiles — they launched 1,000 missiles and 1,000 Shahed drones. In September [2023] alone, they used 500 Shahed drones. The numbers speak for themselves, and conclusions are obvious. We have to get ready for it,” Ihnat said.
War in the digital dimension and the right to access information. Ukraine in Flames #532
CheckPoint’s Global Cybersecurity Report revealed a 50% surge in worldwide cyber attacks in 2022. It’s no surprise that the Russian Federation emerged as the most prominent player in cyber warfare, executing 2,194 cyberattacks on Ukrainian state bodies throughout last year. The main goals of these cyber attacks included espionage, acquiring citizen and system data, logistics insights, and, notably, the potential disruption of critical infrastructure. Watch Ukraine in flames #532 to find out about the realm of digital warfare in the Russian-Ukrainian war, the countermeasures Ukraine is taking and the challenge of finding a balance between securing information online and ensuring public access to crucial data for citizens.
Guests:
- Olha Vdovenko, Media Lawyer, Expert on Access to Public Information at NGO “Human Rights Platform”
- Roman Vasylniak, Media Lawyer at NGO “Human Rights Platform”
