Defense Minister Reznikov: advance of Ukrainian troops in Kherson region has been slowed down by bad weather
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that rainy weather slowed down the advance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kherson region, but Ukrainian troops are successfully using “small steps” tactics.
"In the south, we are also continuing the counter-offensive campaign. Right now, the weather conditions – I mean the rain. This slowed us down a little,” said the Ukrainian Defense Minister in an interview with the Fox News.
Reznikov pointed out that all the bridges in the Kherson region are under Ukrainian military’s fire control, so the Russian troops will not be able to escape from the right bank of the region as it was in the Kharkiv region. They are trapped.
"I don't quite believe that the Russians will be able to fight in the street. Because it's not the best option for them. We control all bridges across the Dnieper River using HIMARS and other artillery. And it is risky for them to stay in Kherson because they will not be able to escape later, as they did in Izyum," Reznikov explained.
He noted that Russia’s war against Ukraine is at its third stage. First, the Ukrainian Armed Forces had to stop the occupying army, then stabilize the situation on the battlefield, and “now our military is liberating the occupied territories according to the plan".
Now, the Russian troops are attacking only near Bakhmut and are making similar attempts in several other areas in the Donetsk region.
Earlier, the Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry,Kyrylo Budanov, said that the war that Russia started against Ukraine should end by the summer. He also noted that, by the beginning of winter, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will still win large-scale victories. Probably, it will be the liberation of Kherson. The commander of the Russian troops in Ukraine, General Sergei Surovikin, confirmed that the situation at the front, including in the Kherson direction, can be described as tense.