Ukrainian forces destroy 10 boats used by Russian recon groups - army spox

Over the past day, Ukraine’s Defense Forces in the southern operational zone destroyed 10 boats used by Russian sabotage and reconnaissance teams, a large-caliber artillery gun, and five armored vehicles, and eliminated 40 invaders.

That’s according to Natalia Humeniuk, the chief of the joint coordination press center of Operational Command South, who spoke at the national telethon, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"Our counter-battery performance is quite powerful. As many as 10 enemy boats were destroyed in the past day. This was an attempt (by the invaders - ed.) to maneuver between the islands. They (boats) were almost all civilian, refitted to carry sabotage and reconnaissance groups. Some 40 invaders followed the course of the ‘Russian warship’, as did a large-caliber cannon and five armored vehicles," Humenyuk said.

According to the spokeswoman, there is no noticeable change in the front line in the southern regions, as the Defense Forces must, first of all, ensure the safety of soldiers before they maneuver along the left bank of the Dnipro. "Therefore, we do counter-battery fire in order to engage the stocks of such maneuvering boats that may cause damage to our units. Therefore, first we destroy them, and then we move in," said Humeniuk.

She noted that on Friday night, the invaders deployed a surface missile carrier equipped with eight Kalibr missiles on combat duty off the coast of Crimea. It was likely a diversionary maneuver because the attack took place later in the northern operational area – Shahed drones were launched "somewhere from the Kursk area," the spokeswoman noted.

Meanwhile, in the southern operational area, the enemy is intensifying shelling.

"Against the background of the fact that they lack ammunition and there are issues with logistics, they are trying to put pressure on the civilian population. In the past day, 10 settlements in our area of responsibility came under fire, some repeatedly. Five people were injured, one civilian was killed. More than 30 private households and apartment buildings were damaged or completely destroyed. In other words, the enemy is hitting the residential areas quite massively and with precision. This is mainly the right-bank part of Kherson region, as well as the Ochakiv district," the spokeswoman emphasized.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Ukraine’s Defense Forces eliminated 257,010 Russian invaders from February 24, 2022 to August 19, 2023.