Ukraine Fires on Bridges, Rail Lines in Bid to Loosen Russia’s Grip on Kherson: Ukraine’s targeting of Russian strongholds pressures Russia’s resupply logistics; Russian army advances again near Pisky, but without success; Russia attacks Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant again, striking near nuclear reactor, LIVE UPDATES and MORE

By admin On Aug 5, 2022

Ukraine Fires on Bridges, Rail Lines in Bid to Loosen Russia’s Grip on Kherson:

Ukrainian forces struck a railway bridge in the southern Kherson region on Thursday, the Ukrainian military said, as it seeks to cut Moscow’s supply lines in preparation for a looming counteroffensive.

Ukrainian forces have concentrated fire on crossings over the Dnipro River, last month destroying a large road bridge 3½ miles to the east as well as striking the railway bridge.

Damage to the two bridges—both called Antonivskiy—has forced Moscow to use military ferries to resupply its forces in the city of Kherson and other areas on the western side of the river.

Kherson is the only Ukrainian regional capital that Moscow has captured in the five months since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion. The city and the surrounding terrain are Russia’s only foothold on the western bank of the Dnipro River, and present a route to the ports of Mykolaiv, Odessa and the rest of Ukraine’s remaining Black Sea shoreline. Retaking the region has become Ukraine’s critical priority in the next phase of the war, rendering the destruction of Russian supply lines from the east of critical strategic importance.

To protect the river crossings, Russian forces have “almost certainly” positioned radar reflectors in the water to thwart radar imaging and missile targeting, the U.K.’s Defense Ministry said.

The threat of a Ukrainian counteroffensive has compelled Russia to redeploy new units to Kherson rather than committing them to its campaign in the eastern Donbas region, which it vowed to capture after pulling back from around the capital in March.

“What the Ukrainians seem to be doing is sucking more and more Russian combat power away [from the fight in Donbas],” said Jack Watling, a land warfare analyst at the Royal United Services Institute, a British think tank. “The Ukrainians don’t have the combat power to storm the city [of Kherson]; what they’re doing instead is eating away at the Russian combat positions.” —>READ MORE HERE

UK says Ukraine’s targeting of Russian strongholds pressures Russia’s resupply logistics

Ukraine’s continued targeting of Russia military strongholds will highly likely impact Russia’s logistical resupply and put pressure on Russian military combat support elements, the British military said on Thursday.

Russian forces have almost certainly positioned pyramidal radar reflectors in the water near the recently damaged Antonivskiy Bridge and nearby rail bridge, Britain said in a defence update on Twitter.

“The radar reflectors are likely being used to hide the bridge from synthetic aperture radar imagery and possible missile targeting equipment. This highlights the threat Russia feels from the increased range and precision of Western-supplied systems,” Britain said. —>READ MORE HERE

Follow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:

+++++Russia-Ukraine News LATEST UPDATES: (REUTERS) (AP) (NY POST) and (WSJ)+++++

+++++Russian army advances again near Pisky, but without success – General Staff report+++++

+++++Russia attacks Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant again, striking near nuclear reactor+++++

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