Ukrainian Armed Forces can strike deep along Russian forces' rear positions - Serhiy Zgurets 

Kherson region bridges are a trap for Russia

"The hit is neat, but effective," the Operational Command South reported today regarding the strikes on the bridge in Nova Kakhovka. Our fire control of the transport and logistics routes in the temporarily occupied territories of the Kherson region led to the establishment of the status of the bridge in the area of ​​the Kakhovska HPP as unfit for use.

The Kakhovka bridge is one of the crossings over the Dnieper River in the Kherson region. The other two bridges are the Antoniv Automobile Bridge and the Antoniv Railway Bridge in Kherson, which is 70 km from Nova Kakhovka. These bridges provide logistics for the entire enemy group on the right bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region. There, the enemy occupies a territory 150 km long and 60 km wide, with a total of 15,000 Russian occupiers.

Russia continues to try to throw additional personnel into this trap, which we will close soon. Let me remind you that after the previous hits on the Antoniv Bridge, all the communication of the Russian group was carried out through Nova Kakhovka, and after the strikes on the Kakhovka Bridge, the situation for Russia in this area looks critical. It can be predicted that they will try to activate repair actions, which is very difficult, and to establish crossings. But it is an order of magnitude less, in terms of efficiency, compared to using the bridges they used. We must continue to press Russia, cut communications, and force the enemy to voluntarily leave our land.

Attacks on Crimea

The intrigue surrounding the strikes on Crimea is extremely interesting. Let me remind you that on August 9, several powerful explosions rang out at the military air base in Saki, near the village of Novofedorivka. Columns of smoke could be seen for a considerable distance, both on land and at sea. This caused panic among the population and caused kilometers of traffic jams. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the detonation of several aviation munitions occurred. We see that this is not true. Then there was a video showing the destruction of planes. This is a good fact, because the 43rd aviation regiment was stationed there, as well as Su-24 bombers, Su-30 and Su-34 fighters. After the strikes, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported that 9 Russian aircraft were destroyed, as well as a warehouse with ammunition. The cost of one Su-34 aircraft is about 40 million dollars, and the consequences of the strikes indicate that 300 million dollars are tangible losses of the enemy.

The strike on the air base caused a discussion in the expert environment. The distance to the positions of the Armed Forces is about 200 km, and de facto, if you use long-range weapons, you need another 230-250 km, and in this sense, there was not a single type of weapon in the arsenal of the Ukrainian army that could perform such a job. We debated whether it could be an ATACMS, or a modified Neptune missile. These conclusions were based on the statement of The New York Times, which, with reference to an anonymous representative of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, said that this strike was carried out by Ukrainian weapons, which caused such a discussion.

A new component was added today. Another American edition, the Washington Post, wrote that there is a new version of the explosions at the military airfield of the Russian space forces, and the only constant in this version is the spectacular explosions, damaged enemy facilities and aircraft, but no mention of long-range weapons. This is the work of Ukrainian special forces, and a representative of the Ukrainian government told the Washington Post about it.  The interlocutor of the newspaper did not specify the details, but it demonstrates the ability of Ukrainian forces to strike deep in the rear of the occupiers. In the same message, the Washington Post mentions an interesting point about an official representative of the United States, who said on condition of anonymity that American weapons were not used during the attack in Crimea, but this attack marks a qualitative change in the format of the introduction of hostilities, and also demonstrates the ability of Ukrainian forces to inflict  struck much deeper into the rear of the Russians than previously thought.

I will add one more detail: yesterday, not only the facility in Novofedorivka was struck, but also the facility in Novooleksiivka - this is a depot with ammunition, which was located 150 km from the front line. In fact, the Ukrainian army has the ability to deliver deep strikes. In what way it will be done, let it remain a secret. The main thing is that the result is bright, effective and necessary for us.