Russian troops desperate to cross Dnipro River in Kherson region at any cost - Ukrainian colonel

He said this in an interview with Antin Borkovskyi, host of the Studio West program.

"Regarding the southern direction, there are over 120,000 Russian military personnel under the command of General Teplinsky as part of the Dnepr military group—a significant force. In reality, what is currently happening in the south of the Kherson region and the south of the Zaporizhzhia region is part of Russia's strategy for an offensive operation in 2024. What should we understand? Firstly, there are 2,000 assault troops and about 300 high-speed boats already prepared. For what purpose? Putin's army will attempt by any means to cross the Dnipro River and establish several bridgeheads on the right bank of the Kherson region," noted Vladyslav Selezniov. 

In his opinion, Russia has already conducted reconnaissance in force. One should recall recent events when Russian artillery struck Kherson and its suburbs, while several enemy sabotage and reconnaissance groups attempted to cross the Dnipro but were destroyed by the fire of Ukraine's Defense Forces.

"I believe there will be more of this. It's no coincidence that Russian soldiers, who understand that their chances of survival during such a crossing are extremely slim, constantly sabotage those very high-speed boats to avoid this crossing at any cost. Nevertheless, the Russian General Staff will insist, and their military leadership in the south of the Kherson region will force Russian assault troops to participate in these completely senseless and hopeless actions. Ukrainian drones, particularly reconnaissance drones, mortar operators, and artillerymen, will literally control every movement, every step of the Russian assault troops. And even if they manage to land their troops, they will be guaranteed to be destroyed within a short period," emphasized the Ukrainian Armed Forces colonel.

According to him, the Russians are mirroring Ukrainian actions. Let's recall the brave actions of Ukrainian border guards, territorial defense representatives, and marines when several bridgeheads were created, one of them near the ruins of the Antonivka bridge. For a long time, the Russians were unable to do anything about that Ukrainian defensive stronghold.

"The most resilient defense on the left bank of the Dnipro, aside from the Krynky area, was also in the Antonivka bridge area. I believe the Russians were trying to create a kind of 'mirror' on the right bank of the Dnipro. As we see, unsuccessfully. I think such attempts will continue. It’s clear that the battle for Kherson will go on. Of course, the Russians have very poor prospects and minimal chances of success. However, this will create additional challenges for the Ukrainian Defense Forces, who are defending our Kherson region," Selezniov concluded.

• In the early morning hours of December 20, the Russian army conducted a massive shelling of Kherson. Residential buildings were hit, resulting in at least two deaths and injuries.
• On the same day, Russian subversive reconnaissance groups attempted to advance toward Kherson.