The Kherson region, the focal point of Kyiv’s counteroffensive in the south and a crucial link in Moscow’s supply lines, saw heavy battle on Saturday, according to the Ukrainian military, which claimed to have killed dozens of Russian soldiers and destroyed two ammo dumps.
The military’s southern command reported that rail service to Kherson over the Dnipro River had been halted, potentially further cutting off Russian forces west of the river from supplies in the annexed Crimea and the east.
Since Moscow’s invasion on February 24, defense and intelligence officials from Britain, one of Ukraine’s most steadfast allies in the West, have painted Russian forces as struggling to sustain the pace.
In recent weeks, Ukraine has severely damaged three Dnipro bridges with long-range missile systems supplied by the West, cutting off Kherson and, in the opinion of British defense officials, leaving Russia’s 49th Army stationed on the river’s west bank extremely exposed.
More than 100 Russian soldiers and seven tanks were reportedly destroyed in action on Friday in the southern provinces of Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Odesa, according to Ukraine’s southern command.
Residents were warned to avoid Russian ammo dumps by Yuri Sobolevsky, the first deputy head of the Kherson regional council.
Sobolevsky posted on the Telegram app, “The Ukrainian army is pouring it on the Russians and this is merely the beginning.”
Dmytro Butriy, the pro-Ukrainian governor of the Kherson area, claimed the Berislav district had been particularly heavily struck. Northwest of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant is the town of Berislav.
Butriy said on Telegram that “in some communities, not a single home has been left undamaged, all infrastructures have been destroyed, and people are living in cellars.”
The reports could not be independently confirmed by reporters.
Earlier this week, representatives of the Russian-appointed government in charge of the Kherson region denied the assessments of the situation made by the West and Ukraine.
Britain’s defense minister stated in an intelligence briefing on Saturday that Russia has probably built two pontoon bridges and a ferry system to make up for bridges destroyed by Ukrainian attacks.
It also said that Russian-installed officials in occupied southern Ukraine were “likely coercing the public into providing personal details in order to assemble voter registers” ahead of referendums on joining Russia later this year.
Following the loss of tens of thousands of soldiers in the conflict, the ministry stated on Friday that the Russian government was “becoming desperate.” Richard Moore, the director of the British MI6 foreign intelligence service, added on Twitter that Russia is “running out of steam.”
DEATHS IN PRISON
In the wake of a missile attack or explosion that may have killed scores of Ukrainian POWs in the eastern Donetsk province, Ukraine and Russia have traded accusations. The incident happened early on Friday in the frontline town of Olenivka, which is held by separatists with support from Moscow.
On Saturday, the Russian defense ministry released a list of Ukrainian POWs who it claimed were killed or injured in what it claimed was a missile strike by the Ukrainian military. It claimed that 50 inmates had died and 73 had been injured in the attack by HIMARS rockets made in the United States.
The Russian artillery had targeted the prison to conceal the maltreatment of people being imprisoned inside, according to the Ukrainian armed forces, who denied any wrongdoing. Russia has committed a war crime, according to foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, who called for an international denunciation on Friday.
Although some of the killings were confirmed by reporters at the prison, they were unable to immediately validate the conflicting versions of events.
“All political, criminal, and moral responsibility for the brutal murder against Ukrainians lies on (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskiy, his criminal government, and Washington who supports them,” said Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense, on Saturday.
A charity connected to the Azov regiment of Ukraine stated on Telegram that it was unable to instantly confirm or refute the veracity of the Russian list of those killed and injured.
On Friday, reporters saw images of the charred remnants of people lined up on military stretchers or lying on the ground outside, as well as the charred ruins of a huge burned-out facility full of metal beds.
Shell pieces were spread out on a bench made of blue metal. No distinguishing signs could be seen at away, and it was unclear where the bits had been gathered.
The International Committee of the Red Cross announced that it was requesting access to the area and had offered to assist in the injured people’s evacuation.
Since its invasion, Ukraine has accused Russia of crimes against humanity and brutality toward civilians, and it claims to have found more than 10,000 potential war crimes. Russian officials deny targeting civilians.
