Russians Bemoan Ukraine's Dnieper Left-Bank Foothold in Kherson: 'A Joke'

Russian military bloggers are bemoaning the situation on the east (left) bank of the Dnieper River in Ukraine's Kherson region.

Ukraine has been launching regular raids across the Dnieper River following its successful liberation of the city of Kherson and the west bank of the river toward the end of 2022. Kyiv's troops reached the occupied side of the Dnieper in mid-October 2023 after extensive cross-river operations.

In December, the Ukrainian General Staff said that its troops had continued ground operations on the left bank and were maintaining positions there from where they are striking at Russian forces.

In a post on Tuesday, the Rybar Telegram channel, which is linked to Russia's military, described the situation as "a joke."

"Rybar is complaining about the Dnipro River situation, says any decisions for Russian artillery fire are way too slow, and Ukrainian aircraft brazenly fly right over Krynky [east of Kherson]...General [Mikhail Teplinsky] who was placed in command here is not helping the situation," said X, formerly Twitter, user Dmitri, from War Translated, an independent project that translates materials about the war.

Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky was appointed commander of Russia's Dnieper grouping of forces in October 2023.

Newsweek has contacted Russia's Defense Ministry for comment by email.

"The Kherson region's air defense is a joke," Rybar posted.

"On a national scale and in specific areas, the problems are being solved over the past six months in terms of repelling massive raids by UAVs and missiles. There are means for this in the Kherson region, but for some reason their use is complicated by various bureaucratic problems."

As a result, said Rybar, Ukraine's planes and helicopters have "become so brazen" that they sometimes fly over the village of Krynky on the Dnieper's left bank and "strike rear areas with both guided and unguided missiles."

"But they don't have time shoot them down because they are waiting for permission," said Rybar.

The channel also described the situation with the organization of artillery fire in the area as "useless."

"In order for a target to be approved (whether it is an air defense missile system position area or a concentration of personnel), it is necessary to present a slide with photo or video confirmation and coordinates," said Rybar.

"The human factor remains the most painful part," Rybar added. "While it is possible to saturate the front line with various weapons and systems over time, it is more difficult to deal with the extremely slow thinking of the decision makers."

Another Russian Telegram channel, purportedly run by a Russian soldier deployed in the Kherson region, said Tuesday that 90 percent of the equipment that gets sent into the area doesn't return.

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