Across the Dnipro
Military river crossing operations are notoriously difficult to plan and execute. They are one of the most difficult forms of combined arms manoeuvre because of the challenges posed by river currents, the availability of bridging, and enemy action designed to interfere with crossing activities.
Since their liberation of western Kherson in November 2022, Ukrainian forces have conducted periodic crossings of the Dnipro River to conduct raids, harass Russian forces and capture prisoners for intelligence. In the past month, however, the nature of these raids has evolved.
In October, the Ukrainians executed river crossings at three different locations in Kherson. They were able to gain a small foothold at each location. Since then, Ukrainian forces have been working towards linking up these three bridgeheads in Russian-occupied Kherson, while also advancing east to clear Russian artillery so that it cannot fire on the Ukrainian river crossing sites.
This week, the Ukrainian government provided the first official confirmation that Ukraine has successfully conducted a cross-Dnipro operation. The aim of this operation remains unclear.
It might be designed to draw Russian units away from further east and provide an opportunity for Ukraine to continue chewing their way through the Surovikin Line. On the other hand, this could be a significant new operation designed to exploit the weakest section of the Russian front line.
What does this mean for the Ukrainian war effort, and the overall trajectory of the war? There are political, strategic and tactical implications.
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