The Armed Forces of Ukraine are trying with little bloodshed and the least losses to "push" the Russian group in Kherson to the Dnieper and force it to surrender there.
This assumption was made by military expert Oleg Zhdanov, stressing that the final decision rests with the Ukrainian General Staff.
"We are pressing on Kherson from several sides. The main task is not that storm the fortified areas head-on. This time, we try to bypass them - where they build defensive lines. Secondly, we bleed this grouping by destroying warehouses, equipment, weapons, personnel, command and control centers, and communications. Now in Kherson, we are working on strongholds, delivering strikes with attack aircraft and artillery. There is a systematic cut-off of the group of troops in the Kherson region from logistical supply routes - replenishment with fuel, ammunition, food, personnel, equipment, and weapons," the expert explained.
Earlier, on July 19, the Ukrainian military hit the Antonovsky bridge in occupied Kherson, which connects the city with the left bank of the Dnieper.
British intelligence calls the Antonovsky bridge the main vulnerability of the Russian army in the Kherson region. That is why control over the crossings across the Dnieper can become a key factor in the fighting in the Kherson region.
"Antonivsky bridge was hit, its carrying capacity is reduced; yes, traffic is passing through it, but not heavy, they are trying to test it, and unfortunately, repair crews have appeared to weld it, lay beams, and fill holes with concrete, which is in the bridge itself. It would be very good to strike at the time when the repair crew was working. Because the next crew would refuse to repair the bridge," Zhdanov said.
The expert believes that as soon as the occupiers finish filling the bridge with concrete, the next projectile, either HIMARS or another, will immediately arrive.
He emphasized that the more we hit the bridge, its structure will become weaker.
"They also hit the bridge over the Ingulets River, not far from Novaya Kakhovka, the Dariiv bridge, which connected the passage through the Dnipro with a dam and Kherson itself. There, all the shells in one lane fell into line, which looks very beautiful in terms of our artillery firing accuracy. The bridge over the lock was also struck over the past day. For now, we are waiting for clarification from our intelligence on the state of this bridge," the expert says.
