Ukrainian soldiers admitted heavy losses while defending on the left bank of the Dnieper 0
(Dan Tri) – Ukrainian soldiers said that Kiev is suffering great losses while trying to hold a small area of land on the left bank of the Dnieper against Russian dominance.
Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the Dnieper River (Photo: BI).
A Ukrainian soldier said the Russian army has a significant advantage over Ukraine in terms of manpower on the Dnieper River.
Vanya, a soldier in the Ukrainian combat reconnaissance unit, told the Financial Times that the number of Russian troops was four times larger than that of the Kiev side at Krynky, the bridgehead that Ukraine captured a few months ago.
Vanya added that Ukrainian forces were suffering heavy casualties, although he declined to give specific numbers.
The left bank of the Dnieper has become one of the focal points of the Russia-Ukraine war in recent months.
But Ukrainian forces also had to accept losses.
And their efforts to hold the left bank have also become complicated because Ukraine has difficulty moving heavy weapons across the river.
`In a very rare case, I saw a heavy machine gun being carried across the river,` Vanya said.
Other Ukrainian soldiers also said they were having difficulty advancing on the left bank of the river.
Oleksiy, a Ukrainian soldier, told the New York Times that Kiev was unable to get equipment across the river, making it difficult for them to gain more territory.
Meanwhile, soldier Dmytri said he felt `like a piece of meat thrown to the wolves` when he received orders to bridge the river and hold position on the left bank.
Meanwhile, an anonymous soldier told the BBC that some of the marines sent to help defend Ukraine’s recent advances on the Dnieper `don’t even know how to swim`.
Last month, Ukrainian soldier Serhiy Ostapenko admitted to CNN that Russia is relentlessly attacking Ukraine.
Ukrainian and foreign media last month described the battle to hold Krynky as a very difficult task for the marines of the 35th Ukrainian Brigade.
This is only a very small area of land, but to maintain it, Ukraine must mobilize forces to cross the river, supply supplies across the river, and they are often subjected to `rain` of fire and intense shelling from Russia.
As of the end of last year, Forbes cited data from open source intelligence analysts saying that Ukrainian marines and support forces had lost nearly 50 boats – destroyed or damaged – during river crossing missions.
Despite the difficulties and losses, the Ukrainian side remains determined to maintain its achievements on the left bank of the Dnieper.
Analyst Nikola Mikovic said that because Ukraine’s counterattack across the entire line from June 2023 did not achieve the expected results, they wanted to keep the achievements on the left bank of the river for political reasons.
