The occupiers have increased the number of their units on the Kinburn Spit, - AFU

The occupiers have increased the number of their units on the Kinburn Spit, - AFU

Russians have increased the number of units on the occupied Kinburn Spit. It is important for them to hold positions on this part of the land on the Dnipro River to prevent the Defence Forces from establishing control over the Dnipro Gulf.

At the same time, it is crucial for Ukrainian defenders to control the Kinburn Spit to prevent shelling of settlements in the Mykolaiv region and to cut off the occupiers’ ability to receive support from the sea. This was stated by the spokesman of the southern Defence Forces, Vladyslav Voloshyn, in a comment to the Radio Liberty project "News of Pryazovia".

According to him, the Russians have increased the number of forces on the seized Kinburn Spit. In particular, additional artillery units and Russian air defence units have been deployed there. The occupiers are doing all this to maintain the bridgehead, which is important to them.

"They defend this area to generally prevent the capture of the Dnipro Gulf. The enemy is very concerned, and besides deploying additional defence forces on the Kinburn Spit itself, about two and a half months ago, they transferred a river boat division from Sevastopol to join the so-called Dnipro Flotilla. This was also done to strengthen their presence in the Dnipro Gulf and on the Kinburn Spit, in particular," Voloshyn explained.

Control over the Kinburn Spit is important for the Defence Forces not only because it is Ukrainian land that must be liberated. The fact is that this strip of land blocks the sea entrance to the Dnipro, so by taking control of it, Ukrainian forces could "effectively cut off the Russian units’ ability to receive certain support from the sea."

"This is a very important bridgehead for both them and us. Additionally, from the Kinburn Spit, it is possible to shell the southern part of the Kherson region and the southern part of the Mykolaiv region. It is indeed a significant bridgehead for many, many aspects," added the spokesman of the southern Defence Forces.

The Kinburn Spit remains the only part of the Mykolaiv region occupied by Russia. It is located a few kilometers from Ochakiv, and it is from there that the occupiers launch attacks on this city.