Source: AUN News

After Kyiv launched a counteroffensive on Monday, the U.S. judged that Ukraine had a “strong opportunity” to recapture land that Russia had taken in its initial invasion, according to two Defense Department officials.

According to the officials, who spoke anonymously to discuss a sensitive operation, Ukrainian forces have destroyed “most” of the bridges over the Dnipro River using High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems provided by the United States and other munitions. Russian troops at the west of the river are now in danger of being cut off from the remainder of Moscow’s occupying forces. They are now thinking of making the bridges an essential supply conduit.

Kyiv’s Plan

The officials noted that Ukrainian forces are also hitting logistics, command centers, and airfields in advance of the operation as part of Kyiv’s plan to prepare the battlefield for the counter-offensive.

They said the counter-offensive’s current phase aims to cut off Russian forces at the river and compel them to cede control of Kherson. One of the officials remarked that crossing the river would be “extremely tough to do” at this point.

Following weeks of counterattacks on towns in the Kherson region, Ukrainian officials announced the operation to liberate Russian-occupied territories in the southern part of the country on Monday. The armed forces of Ukraine declared they had broken through Russia’s “first line of defense” close to Kherson.

The National Security Council’s John Kirby declined to confirm the start of the counteroffensive and directed inquiries to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. However, he emphasized that Kyiv has been waging a more “localized” counterattack for weeks.

“The idea of going on the offense is not new to the Ukrainians, and they have been fighting the Russians within their country,” Kirby said, stressing that the HIMARS, in particular, has significantly impacted the conflict.

According to Kirby, the technology, coupled with precisely guided rockets, has made it possible for Ukraine to attack from beyond Russian lines and forced Moscow into a defensive posture.

HIMARS

According to a DoD official, the war has given the United States a unique chance to evaluate HIMARS and Russian defense capabilities in action. The person said that U.S. officials are “a little astonished” by both how well the HIMARS is working and how badly the Russian defenses have held up to the attacks.

However, we are also learning that they can go through many Russian systems, the person added. “The Ukrainians are doing very well at what they are doing with them and how they are employing them.”

One of the DoD officials stated that the next issue is whether Russian forces choose to give up the ground they have taken in the south or move their troops away from the conflict in the east.

Conflict in the Donbas

However, we are also learning that they can go through many Russian systems, the person added. “The Ukrainians are doing very well at what they are doing with them and how they are employing them.”

One of the DoD officials stated that the next issue is whether Russian forces choose to give up the ground they have taken in the south or move their troops away from the conflict in the east.

Kirby claimed that due to rumors that Ukraine would launch an operation in the south, Moscow has already been forced to divert resources away from the conflict in the Donbas, where it has focused most of its forces.

In the short term, according to Kirby, the safest and least dangerous option would be a controlled shutdown of the nuclear reactors in Zaporizhzhia.