Ukrainian forces conducted raid across Dnipro River in Kherson region - ISW
That's according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrinform reports.
According to the ISW report, it remains unclear whether Ukrainian troops have established an enduring presence on the east bank.
Several Russian milbloggers reported on August 8 that Ukrainian forces landed up to seven boats, each carrying around six to seven people, on the east bank of the Dnipro near the settlement of Kozachi Laheri, broke through Russian defensive lines, and advanced up to 800 meters deep.
ISW analysts said that according to a Russian milblogger, the Russian command recently redeployed a "prepared grouping" of Russian airborne (VDV) personnel from the Kozachi Lopan area to the Zaporizhzhia region and replaced them with mobilized fighters from an unspecified unit, thereby weakening Russian defensive power in this area.
ISW analysts also added that Kherson region occupation head Vladimir Saldo downplayed reports of the Ukrainian landing and claimed that Russian artillery fire repelled the Ukrainian boats.
"However, the majority of prominent Russian milbloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces managed to utilize tactical surprise and land on the east bank before engaging Russian forces in small arms exchanges, and Saldo was likely purposefully trying to refute claims of Ukrainian presence in this area to avoid creating panic in the already-delicate Russian information space," the Washington-based think tank said.
ISW said it would continue to offer a conservative assessment of the situation on the east bank of the Kherson region until or unless ISW observes visual confirmation of an enduring Ukrainian presence near Kozachi Laheri or other east bank settlements.
ISW has not yet observed visual evidence to suggest that there are a substantial number of Ukrainian personnel or the deployment of Ukrainian vehicles near Kozachi Laheri.
"The current pattern of Russian reporting is more consistent with a limited cross-river raid than a wider Ukrainian operation. Ukrainian officials have not commented on operations in this area as of this writing," the ISW report said.
