Ukraine silently advances in the storm, deeply inserting the "knife tip" into Russia's flank

Ukraine âm thầm tiến quân trong bão, cắm sâu mũi dao bên sườn Nga - 1 — Soldiers of the 123rd Ukrainian Territorial Defense Brigade fire mortars across the Dnieper River towards Russian positions in Kherson province, November 6 (Photo: Getty).

ISW quoted two Russian military bloggers as saying that Ukrainian soldiers were taking advantage of heavy snow and strong winds, which reduced visibility and weakened Russian defenses, to consolidate their positions in the eastern Dnieper region.

One of the two bloggers said that gusts of wind with speeds of nearly 140km/h prevented Russian forces from using artillery and aerial reconnaissance, creating an opportunity for the Ukrainian army.

However, the ISW added that winter weather conditions also helped Russian troops advance closer to the center of Krynky, pushing Ukrainian forces away from the southern part of the village.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is unable to provide support to the area due to high winds and waves on the right bank of the Dnieper River.

Rybar, a Russian blogger, made a similar assessment in a Telegram post on November 27. Specifically, Ukrainian Navy units are taking advantage of limited visibility caused by winter weather to reinforce their defenses in the forest near Krynky.

However, the 38th and 36th Ukrainian Marine Brigades suffered losses on November 26 while trying to gain control of the central and southern Krynky area, just before the storm hit.

Ants Kiviselg, head of the Estonian Defense Forces' Intelligence Center, told broadcaster ERR last week that increased rainfall and low cloud ceilings would limit the capabilities of airborne assets such as drones.

Ukrainian attacks could force Russia to shift ground forces from the frontline to the Dnieper River, according to Kiviselg.

He also said increasingly severe winter weather could restrict vehicle movement and flood trenches, turning the fighting there into a "battle of wills".

Ukraine began its counteroffensive in June but has so far made little progress as expected. However, the Ukrainian marines have achieved one of the counteroffensive’s objectives, which was to cross the Dnipro River on the Kherson front and establish strongholds there.

Estimates of the number of Ukrainian troops crossing the Dnieper range from a few dozen to several hundred. If Ukrainian forces can expand the area under their control, it could become a springboard for Kiev to advance toward the Crimean peninsula.

In contrast to the southern Ukrainian front, Russian forces are advancing in the east.

The British Ministry of Defense said on November 28 that since early October, Russian troops have advanced up to 2km in the attack on the city of Avdiivka in Donbass. This is "one of Russia's biggest victories since spring 2023", according to the ministry.

“This operation is gradually bringing Russian forces closer to the Avdiivka chemical and coke plant, where Ukrainian forces maintain one of their main defensive positions,” the UK Ministry of Defence said.

However, Ukraine still controls the supply route to the city in a corridor about 7km wide between the two Russian wings, according to the British Ministry of Defense.

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