The situation in the Novopavlivka sector has significantly escalated, with Russian forces pressing toward the border area shared by the Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk regions.
Vladyslav Voloshyn, spokesperson for the Southern Defense Forces, said this on Ukrainian television, according to Ukrinform.
“The situation has escalated considerably in the Novopavlivka sector, where the enemy engaged in 23 combat clashes over the past day. Fierce fighting is ongoing there, and the enemy is literally pushing toward the border of the Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk regions. Additionally, the situation remains quite tense in the Orikhiv sector, near areas such as Mali Shcherbaky, Lobkove, and Stepove. The enemy is attempting to break through the front line there and secure a foothold, which is not far from Zaporizhzhia. From there, they would be able to exert fire control over our supply routes from Zaporizhzhia to eastern Zaporizhzhia region and shell the city and its suburbs,” Voloshyn reported.
He added that the situation in the Dnipro River sector, near Kherson, has also sharply deteriorated in recent days.
According to Voloshyn, in the Kherson sector, Russian forces have increasingly attempted to seize islands on the Dnipro River. While Ukrainian forces are mostly successful in destroying Russian watercraft, some Russian troops manage to land on the islands.
“Sometimes the enemy leaves one or two soldiers on these islands. They end up playing ‘Robinson Crusoe’ there, as they can’t be evacuated. Their command drops them ammunition, water, and food using drones. They remain there for several days, and in some cases, they even surrender to our forces. Russian propaganda uses these incidents to claim control over the island zone. But we’ve seen more of these attempts in the past few days,” he said.
Voloshyn also voiced concern over Russia’s use of double strikes on Kherson – first with guided aerial bombs, followed by artillery and drone attacks.
“These [guided aerial] bombs were dropped on residential areas. There are casualties and injuries among civilians, as well as damage to civilian infrastructure. What’s more, the enemy employs a cynical tactic: after the initial bombings, once emergency services arrive, they strike again using artillery or kamikaze drones. Just the day before yesterday, there was one such incident, and two hours ago, the enemy launched a similar strike using three guided aerial bombs,” Voloshyn added.
Source: Enemy pushing toward border of Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk regions – Voloshyn
