Ukraine war: Kyiv secures bridgehead across key Dnipro River - reports

Ukrainian troops person acceptable up positions connected the eastbound slope of the Dnipro River successful confederate Kherson region, reports say.

The portion is partially Russian-held and crossing the stream could beryllium important successful aboriginal offensives.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War says Russian subject bloggers person posted "enough geolocated footage and substance reports to confirm" the advance.

BBC Ukraine says its subject sources person reported a "certain question crossed [the] Dnipro" adjacent Kherson city.

Ukraine's subject has not confirmed the movement, portion Russia has denied the reports.

But if the reports that Ukraine has secured a bridgehead connected the eastbound slope are correct, it could beryllium important successful helping Kyiv thrust Russian troops back.

A Ukrainian beforehand successful the country could, successful the future, adjacent chopped the onshore corridor to Ukraine's Crimea peninsula, annexed by Russia successful 2014.

However, subject experts accidental immoderate Ukrainian unit movements successful the bridgehead country - which is crisscrossed by floodplains, irrigation canals and different h2o obstacles - would beryllium a pugnacious task.

And Ukrainian advances would beryllium further analyzable by Russia's important vantage successful the air.

Ukraine's subject has for immoderate clip publically spoken astir preparations for a large counter-offensive, without specifying wherever and erstwhile it could beryllium launched.

Until now, each of the Kherson portion connected the eastbound slope of the Dnipro has been nether Russian control, with the wide stream serving arsenic a earthy barrier.

The determination superior - sitting connected the westbound slope - was liberated by Ukrainian forces past November.

In Sunday's report, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said "geolocated footage published connected 23 April indicates that Ukrainian forces are operating successful areas north-west of Oleshky connected the east" slope of Dnipro.

The ISW added determination was not capable accusation to analyse the standard of the reported Ukrainian beforehand - oregon the further intentions of the Ukrainian military.

On Monday, Russia's WarGonzo subject blogger reported that Ukrainian troops were "trying to summation a foothold connected Bolshoi Potemkin [Velykyi Potyomkin - Ukrainian] island", which is located betwixt the caller and aged channels of the Dnipro.

Nataliya Humenyuk, a spokeswoman for Ukraine's South Command, neither confirmed nor denied reports that Ukrainian forces person secured a bridgehead connected the eastbound bank.

She told Ukraine's TV channels that "difficult enactment is continuing".

A subject cognition requires "informational soundlessness until it is harmless capable for our military", the spokeswoman stressed.

Meanwhile, the Russian-installed caput of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, said connected Sunday "there were nary bridgeheads connected the near slope adjacent Oleshky, oregon immoderate different places" connected that broadside of the river.