Russians try to advance to Stepnohirsk along former Kakhovka Reservoir shore — Voloshyn
For 1.5 months, Russian troops have been attempting to seize Stepnohirsk, advancing along the shore of the former Kakhovka Reservoir. However, the Defense Forces have been repelling the attacks and preventing the enemy from infiltrating.
Vladyslav Voloshyn, a spokesman for the Southern Defense Forces, stated this in a comment to Ukrinform.
"Russia has been trying to seize the village of Stepnohirsk for about a month and a half. The main route it is taking to get there is along the shore of the former Kakhovka Reservoir, where it would take control of the settlements of Prymorske and Plavni. The enemy is trying to advance further along the same shore toward Zaporizhzhia, and toward Kushuhum and Balabyne," Voloshyn said.
He explained that Stepnohirsk is situated on dominant heights, where it would be convenient for the enemy to deploy certain types of weapons, particularly long-range artillery or fiber-optic drones, which can be used to strike the southern, southeastern, and eastern outskirts of Zaporizhzhia. Additionally, the enemy would be able to maintain control over the logistics routes leading from Zaporizhzhia to the east, including those to Orikhiv and Huliaipole.
According to the spokesperson, Stepnohirsk is also important to the Russians because it can be used to launch strikes on other settlements, such as Komyshuvakha, Pavlivka, and Lukianivske.
Voloshyn noted that the number of occupiers in this sector has not increased, but they are trying to bring assault groups closer to the front line.
"They are trying to move closer to the front line, trying to gain a foothold in Kamianske, and then continue to infiltrate these assault groups into Stepnohirsk. In addition, they are trying to approach Stepnohirsk from the east, storming toward the village of Pavlivka. Therefore, the situation there is quite difficult, but the Ukrainian Defense Forces are repelling enemy attacks and preventing them from infiltrating," the spokesman explained.
According to him, the enemy is trying to bypass the positions of the Defense Forces along the bottom of the former Kakhovka Reservoir and reach Malokaterynivka.
"In addition, these assault groups have been tasked by the Russian command to enter the southeastern part of the village of Prymorske and begin to consolidate their positions there. Therefore, in Prymorske itself, which is mostly a summer cottage area, fighting continues in these small, narrow streets,“ the spokesman explained, adding that ”this is also not far from Stepnohirsk."
As reported by Ukrinform, on the night of June 6, 2023, the Russian army blew up the dam of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station, causing flooding in parts of the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions and, at the same time, critically depleting the Kakhovka Reservoir.
President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that €2 billion is required to restore the Kakhovka Dam, without which the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant will be unable to operate.
Photo: nsju.org