The Ukrainian military continues the counteroffensive. Since the beginning of October, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have already liberated more than 400 square meters from Russian occupation. km of the Kherson region, such data was given by the press secretary of the joint command Natalya Gumenyuk. According to her, in several directions, the military went deep behind the front line by 20 km.
“Yes, our successes are quite convincing. We do not name directions, but already more than 400 sq. km Kherson region liberated from the invaders. And we are moving forward,” she said.
The occupying authorities of Kherson on October 6 announced another shelling of the Antonovsky bridge. Propagandists from RIA Novosti stated that a series of explosions were heard in the city: the air defense, according to them, shot down five HIMARS missiles fired by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The bridge was not damaged and no one was reported injured. At the same time, the bridge was also shelled in the morning.
On the evening of October 5, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced the liberation of three settlements in the Kherson region: the villages of Novovoskresenskoye, Novogrigorovka and Petropavlovka. Ukrainian media today also reported on the liberation of the village of Trifonovka, a video of the installation of the Ukrainian flag was published. The General Staff of Ukraine has not yet confirmed this information.
Military expert Sergei Grabsky, in a conversation with The Insider, notes that the advance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kherson region is now not as fast as in northern Ukraine – this is due to the fact that the enemy is “better prepared for defense” there. He characterizes the situation as follows: “Stubborn defensive battles continue. The Russians understand that if they do not hold this position, the entire grouping of Russian troops on the right bank of the Dnieper will be surrounded. We see this state on the front line: the enemy continues mass shelling of civilian infrastructure, and Kharkiv, Zaporozhye, and Mykolaiv are under attack.”
British military intelligence in its analysis claims that Russian troops plan to defend the regional center, although it would be more profitable to retreat. A retreat from the Dnieper would help to keep those parts of the Kherson region that Russia still controls, but holding on to current positions is necessary "for political reasons."
Sergei Grabsky notes that in the Lugansk direction there is an advance towards the city of Svatovo: “We already see the liberated settlements of the Luhansk region, which are located 25 kilometers from Svatovo. From Svatovo and Kremennaya, the enemy began the evacuation of "social and medical institutions" and is preparing for a desperate defense. If he fails, then the entire defense zone of the invaders from Troitsky to Severodonetsk will simply collapse, and this will open the way for Ukrainian troops. Svatovo will play an important role in the coming days, and all attention will be directed to this settlement.”
On October 5, it became known that the Ukrainian military had liberated the village of Grekovka. Thus, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, advancing, crossed the administrative border of the Luhansk region.
“No one is going to attack Severodonetsk and Lisichansk now, because urban battles are the most unpleasant thing. The task of the Ukrainian troops in the Luhansk direction is to move as quickly and further as possible, freeing the territories. The enemy, despite such serious losses of territories, personnel and equipment, with persistence worthy of a better use, continues to attack Ukrainian troops on the line from Bakhmut to Marinka, trying to increase the number of shelling, keeping the entire line under tension,” Grabsky notes.
According to him, while there is "ominous silence" in the section from Velika Novoselka to Vasilyevka – Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions. “The situation there is quite tense, and in many respects it will depend on the further development of events in the Kherson direction, where the Ukrainian army continues to advance from north to south, without stopping harassing the Russians from the west, creating a threat of encirclement of the group and forcing them to retreat.”