Russian troops have managed to establish a bridgehead across the Oskil River (Oskol in Russian) in eastern Ukraine, which until now separated the positions of the two camps, a local Ukrainian official reported today, quoted by Agence France-Presse. The agency notes that this is another sign of the difficulties Kiev is facing on the front line, writes BTA.
In recent months, the Russian army has tried several times to cross the river, which rises in Russia and passes through the heavily fortified Ukrainian city of Kupyansk.
“The enemy is trying to strengthen itself in the city of Dvorichna, on the right bank of the Oskil, and expand the entire bridgehead“, the head of the military administration of Kupyansk Andriy Besedin told Ukrainian television.
According to him, the situation is “extremely difficult” for Ukrainian forces, who risk being threatened on their flanks.
Russian soldiers easily crossed this river in the first weeks of the 2022 invasion before being pushed back across it a few months later by a Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Besedin also said that Russian units were now just two kilometers from Kupyansk, a town with a pre-war population of about 25,000 people that is the main Ukrainian position on this sector of the front.
“The enemy is constantly trying to carry out assault operations,“ he added.
For several months, Ukrainian forces have been struggling in many sectors of the front, with Moscow saying on Monday that it had captured the town of Kurakhovo, a key defensive position in the south that Kiev still claims it has not surrendered.
Both sides are seeking to strengthen their positions before the return to the White House of Donald Trump, who has stated that he wants to help bring the war to a quick end, without outlining specific plans.