Ukrainian troops secure several bridgeheads along Dnipro river, push out Russian soldiers

The Ukrainian military said on Friday (Nov 17) that its troops pushed Russian soldiers out of positions on the eastern banks of the Dnipro river in the occupied Kherson and established several bridgeheads. Sharing a post on Facebook, the Ukrainian Marines said they had a series of successes, established several bridgeheads and conducted other operations on the river's eastern side.

Russia conceded for the first time this week that Ukrainian troops had crossed the river. "Units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces managed to knock out the Russians from their positions on the left bank of the Dnipro and consolidate there," General Staff spokesperson Andriy Kovalyov said on a military channel on YouTube.

"One of the main goals of this combat work is to push the enemy as far as possible from the right bank to protect the Ukrainian civilian population, in particular Kherson, from constant Russian shelling," Kovalyov said.

'Our warriors. Thank you for your strength'

On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared images from the area showing the military using drones and operating on speedboats on the Dnipro. "Our warriors. Thank you for your strength, for moving forward!" President Zelensky said in a post on Telegram.

According to a report by the news agency Reuters, the Ukrainian military crossed the river in small groups in the summer to create an initial foothold around a railway bridge near Kherson and then sought to expand their presence in nearby villages on the east bank.

Since Russia launched its offensive against Ukraine in February last year, Kherson has been pounded by Russian artillery for months and dozens of civilians have been killed.

Ukraine retook the city and the area around it on the western bank of the Dnipro in November last year. Both Russia and Ukraine have inflicted heavy losses on the other side during operations in the area.

Ukraine braced for increased Russian strikes

As the conflict rages on, Ukrainian troops are bracing for increased Russian air strikes across the country as winter approaches. On Thursday, President Zelensky warned that Russia was likely stockpiling missiles to hit energy facilities over the coming months.

"My estimation is that they are accumulating (missiles), but that they don't have many more missiles compared to what they previously had," Zelensky told reporters referring to last year's attacks which left millions of Ukrainians suffering debilitating blackouts.

(With inputs from agencies)