Russian Major, Unit 'Missing' as Ukraine Gets Dnieper Left Bank Foothold

Fresh battlefield reports say that Ukrainian forces may have won a valuable foothold on the Russian-occupied side of the Dnieper River—called the Dnipro in Ukrainian. For months, this has served as the frontline between the two armies stretching from the Black Sea coast almost to the city of Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine.

The Institute for the Study of War's Tuesday-night bulletin noted a spike in Russian Telegram milblogger mentions of the situation along the left bank of the Dnieper—held by Russian troops since the opening days of the full-scale February 2022 invasion—related to an alleged small-scale Ukrainian raid.

The reported incursion is said to have occurred on the left bank near the settlement of Kozachi Laheri, equidistant between Kherson and Nova Kakhovka in southern Ukraine.

"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 [875 yards] deep," the ISW wrote.

The breakthrough appears to have occurred during a rotation of troops, the ISW report said. "A Russian milblogger noted that the Russian command recently redeployed a 'prepared grouping' of Russian airborne (VDV) personnel from the Kozachi Lopan area to Zaporizhia Oblast and replaced them with mobilized fighters from an unspecified unit, thereby weakening Russian defensive power in this area."

The Trinadtsatyi channel was among the Russian milbloggers lamenting the development. Posts there said 16 Russian soldiers and two officers went missing during the Ukrainian raid, including a "Major Tomov" who accompanied the enlisted troops to check the positions in question.

"If Tomov gets in touch, I will apologize, wish him good health, and put a bottle of good cognac on," one post read. "But the group did not reach the control point. At this hour, out of sixteen people, there is NO ONE on the line."

A subsequent Trinadtsatyi post said Tomov's group "was ambushed, the survivors are now in captivity." The message added that several of the captured or killed soldiers are believed to have been carrying cell phones containing sensitive information about Russian positions and activities on the left bank.

Another Russian pro-war Telegram channel noted the strategic value of the area now reportedly being contested. "There is a convenient area that can be used by the enemy for the transfer of forces and equipment," one post read. It added that the settlement sits on the "shortest leg for cutting the E58 route," referring to the highway connecting Kherson to occupied Melitopol and Mariupol.

Despite such reports, the ISW said that "it remains unclear whether Ukrainian troops have established an enduring presence on the east bank."

Kherson Oblast occupation chief Vladimir Saldo said that Russian forces on the bank repelled the Ukrainian raid. His statements were given short shrift by several prominent milbloggers, who accused the collaboration head of downplaying the development to avoid panic. Newsweek has been unable to verify Saldo's claims.

"Hotspots on available NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) data from the past 24 hours in this area appear to confirm that there was significant combat, likely preceded or accompanied by artillery fire," the ISW wrote of the area.

"By the end of the day on August 8, many Russian sources had updated their claims to report that Russian forces retain control over Kozachi Laheri, having pushed Ukrainian forces back to the shoreline, and that small arms skirmishes are occurring in shoreline areas near Kozachi Laheri and other east bank settlements," the independent think tank added.

"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, and the current pattern of Russian reporting is more consistent with a limited cross-river raid than a wider Ukrainian operation."

Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry by email to request comment.

The Dnieper has formed a formidable portion of the frontline since Ukraine's late 2022 offensive liberated its right bank, including the city of Kherson. The wide, fast-flowing waterway stopped the advance, allowing Russian defenders to relocate to the left bank and set up fresh defensive positions.

The destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam in June caused severe flooding in the downstream sections of the Dnieper. The deluge reportedly washed away some Russian defensive positions, though it also made a potential Ukrainian crossing more difficult.

Still, the subsequent drying-up of the Nova Kakhovka reservoir to the north of the destroyed dam has prompted suggestions that Kyiv's forces might look to launch fresh attacks on Russian forces holding the left bank in that area.