Russia says it has also thwarted new attempts by Ukrainian forces to cross the Dnieper

THE Russia said today that marines, air force and artillery repelled further attempts by Ukraine to gain access to the east bank of the Dnieper River and the islands at the mouth of the river in southern Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, sparking a major European ground war and the most serious standoff between Russia and the West since the height of the Cold War.

Ukraine announced this month that its forces had crossed the Dnieper and set up several bridgeheads on the river’s eastern banksalthough Russia claims it is pounding Ukrainian positions.

“Marines of the Black Sea Fleet stop all attempts by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to gain amphibious access into the Dnieper Islands and the left bank of the Dnieper River”the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The Russian Defense Ministry has released video it says shows marines defeating Ukrainian forces. The soldiers are shown using various types of weapons, although the outcome of the battle is unclear.

The ministry said Ukrainian forces were suffering heavy casualties and losing equipment in their unsuccessful attempts to reach islands in the Dnieper. Reuters was not immediately able to cross-reference the two sides’ accounts of the battlefield.

It also remains unclear how significant the Ukrainian push for access to the east bank of the Dnieper is. Crossing the Dnieper leaves Ukrainian units exposed between the river and swampy areas on one side and heavily fortified Russian lines on the other.

Alongside Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, Russia now controls 17.5% of internationally recognized Ukrainian territory. The Ukrainian counteroffensive has failed to make significant gains against Russian forces.