The Dnipro River essentially forms the boundary between Russian controlled territory and Ukraine. Everything East of the river is controlled by Russia, while everything west is controlled by Ukraine. This status is essentially the underpinning of the visible stalemate.
By most generally accepted accounts, the Russians have carved out the buffer zone they initially wanted. Russia is essentially no longer trying to take any more ground in Ukraine and in many places, they have begun rebuilding towns. That’s what it looks like on the ground.
Ukraine had crossed the Dnipro to take the village of Krynky (near Kherson) a few months ago and had been trying to hold the area. However, with the river behind them it was increasingly unrealistic to stop Russia from retaking the town. As expected, Russia pushed the depleted Ukraine forces back across the river.
UKRAINE – […] Ukrainian troops have lost a hard-won position on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, near the southern city of Kherson, after months of bloody fighting to hold on to a piece of land in what some Ukrainian soldiers and military analysts have described as a futile operation.
The Ukrainian military said on Wednesday night that fighting continued on the eastern bank but that most of the main positions in the village of Krynky, where its troops had gained a foothold, “were destroyed by intense, combined and prolonged enemy fire.” The statement came after several Ukrainian news media outlets reported that Ukrainian forces had withdrawn from the village, which now lies in ruins.
