Russian bloggers, as well as Ukrainian media, published photos and videos of the blown up Antonovsky bridge. The OSINTtechnical project reports that the Antonovsky railway bridge, which is located 6 km from the main one, was also blown up.
The Russian propaganda publication Readovka published a video showing that the pontoon bridge was also damaged. Previously published records of the foot crossing of the Russian military on the pontoon bridge from the right to the left bank of the Dnieper.
Russian military commander Alexander Kots claims that there are no Russian military left on the right bank, which means that the main group left long before the order of Sergei Shoigu and the subsequent undermining of the bridge. The bombing puts a symbolic end to the struggle for a foothold on the left bank of the Dnieper, which has been under threat since the summer, when Ukrainians disrupted supply routes thanks to HIMARS.
Thus, the offensive of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on Nikolaev and Krivoy Rog is now impossible, the Dnieper River becomes the line of combat contact in the southern sector of the front. The territory on both sides of the river is flat with excellent visibility, the right bank is slightly higher than the left, which gives the APU an advantage.
According to military analysts, after the liberation of the right bank by the Ukrainians, new zones of destruction for MLRS HIMARS missiles appear – the Perekop Isthmus in Crimea and the entire Tauride steppe to the north of the peninsula. The Kakhovskaya HPP and the hydraulic structures of the North Crimean Canal are also in the affected area, however, the destruction of the HPP is not beneficial to anyone: in the event of an explosion, Crimea will lose its water supply, since the dam regulates the level in the Dnieper and ensures the filling of the North Crimean Canal. In addition, the destruction of the hydroelectric power plant threatens to flood several dozen settlements. At present, the HPP remains under Russian control.
Military expert, Colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the reserve Roman Svitan noted that the explosion of the Antonovsky Bridge is a key event, a milestone, meaning that Russian troops left the right bank of the Dnieper and Kherson:
“This kind of action is carried out when the troops are withdrawn from the encirclement. The explosion of the Antonovsky bridge indicates that Russian troops have been completely withdrawn from the right bank to the left. It makes no sense to leave small parts on the right bank, as they will be completely destroyed. They will not pose a danger to the advancing troops, who outnumber them many times over in numbers and equipment. Undermining the bridge cuts off any advancement of Ukrainian troops to the left bank without the use of watercraft. The command to withdraw the troops was received, and the explosion of the bridge is such a checkmark “done”. The Russian side blew it up with engineering military brigades in all the correct science and at those points where it was necessary to place explosives. Undermining the bridge means that there are no Russian troops in the Kherson region.
Now the Russians are positioned along the line of defense that they have been digging for recently. There are three lines of defense: one goes along the Dnieper River, the other at a depth of 10–15 km, and the third at a depth of 20–25 km from the Dnieper. These are the average distances where engineering work was carried out. They plan to cut off the Ukrainian troops there, who will force the Dnieper in the Kherson region with further advance to the Crimea.”
Also, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have the prerequisites for a successful river war as a result of the organization of a protected base near Nikolaev, on the Bug Estuary or in Ochakovo. The theater of military operations can unfold on both sides of the Kakhovka dam. On November 4, it was reported that the supply of 40 armored American boats and 1.1 thousand Phoenix Ghost drones from the United States to Ukraine is included in the next package of military assistance.
