Extract from ABC News
Russia has admitted "small groups" of Ukrainian troops have crossed the Dnipro River and are holding territory in the country's south-east near Kherson, that it has occupied since March 2022.
Key points:
- A spokesperson for Ukraine's military has also confirmed the crossing
- The development is a boost for Ukraine's counteroffensive
- Accounts of the situation from Russian and Ukrainian officials differ
The development was revealed in a post on Wednesday by Vladimir Saldo, a Russian-appointed governor in the area, on encrypted messaging service Telegram.
It's the first time a Russian official has confirmed the crossing.
Mr Saldo said "about a company and a half" of Ukraine's soldiers were now "trapped" in the village of Krynky, and that Moscow had sent reinforcements to the front lines.
The admission comes after two state-controlled Russian news outlets — Ria Novosti and TASS — deleted reports about troops in the area being relocated earlier this week.
One quietly removed its updates, while the other said it had mistakenly published the information.
The stories sparked speculation Russian forces had begun to retreat there.
Natalia Humeniuk, a Ukrainian military spokesperson, also confirmed the development on Wednesday, saying "the pushback from our side" was between 3 and 8 kilometres long.
"The frontline is fairly fluid as of today, and we cannot discuss every single measure our defence forces are undertaking," she said.
She said Russian troops were being pushed back in the area.
"For now, we will ask for informational silence so that our plan can start working, which would allow us to report later on great successes," she said.
That assessment was at odds with Mr Saldo's post, which claimed Ukrainian soldiers were trapped in basements, trying to avoid the "fiery hell" Russia was targeting them with.
The ABC is unable to independently verify the claims made by the Russian or Ukrainian officials.
The development is a boost for Ukraine's counteroffensive, which began in June and has been criticised by some for a perceived lack of progress.
Ukraine relies on support from Western allies in its attempts to repel Russia's forces, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has recently complained about the Israel-Gaza war taking attention away from his country's plight.
During a trip to the US, Mr Zelenskyy's chief of staff Andriy Yermak on Tuesday said Ukraine had "gained a foothold" on the other side of the river "against all odds".
Crossing the river, which was an obvious natural barrier, is seen as strategically significant for Ukraine as it attempts to cut Russian supply lines, push towards the Crimean Peninsula, and reclaim occupied territory.
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