"Suicide mission" across the Dnieper River

According to the New York Times , the soldiers felt disappointed by the positive reports from Ukrainian officials. That was the last straw, breaking their silence.

For two months, Ukrainian marines have been leading an offensive across the Dnieper River in the southern Kherson region to retake territory from Russian forces. The operation is the latest in a feeble Ukrainian counteroffensive aimed at breaking through Russian defenses in the south and turning the tide of the conflict.

Gunmen and marines involved in the river crossing described the attack as futile, as Ukrainian troops were attacked on the riverbank or in the water, even before they reached the other side.

Conditions were so difficult, six people involved in the battles said in interviews that in most places there was nowhere to go. The first approaches tended to be landings on islands or marshes surrounded by creeks or grasslands, which had become muddy pools and water-filled bomb craters.

Ukrainian soldiers spoke only by name or requested anonymity for security reasons, and commanders refused most media requests to visit military units in the Kherson region.

Ukrainian marines interviewed by the New York Times described operations on the east bank of the Dnieper River in the Kherson region as "suicidal" and "wasteful" given the difficult conditions and heavy losses.

Several servicemen spoke to reporters, expressing concern about high casualties and, in their view, overly optimistic reports from officials about the progress of the offensive in the left bank of the Kherson region.

The fiercest fighting took place in the village of Krynki on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River in the Kherson region, where Ukrainian troops controlled a narrow strip of fishermen's homes.

Drone footage, seen by the New York Times , "confirmed soldiers' accounts that heavy Russian airstrikes destroyed homes and turned the riverbank into a pile of mud and broken trees."

Meanwhile, President Zelensky and other officials have claimed that marines have entrenched themselves on the east bank of the Dnieper River.

However, marines and military personnel who were there say the reports exaggerate the truth.

One of the servicemen, Alexey, said: "There are no positions there. There is no such thing as an observation point or a position. It is difficult to get a foothold there. It is impossible to move equipment there. It is not even a fight for survival. This is suicide."

Alexey said that poor training and logistics by the Ukrainian command destroyed his battalion. According to him, the wounded were abandoned due to a lack of boats and difficult fighting conditions undermined the soldiers' morale and mutual support.

"The people who go there are not mentally prepared. They don't even understand where they are going. The orders to send them there don't tell them this," the soldier said.

Alexey agreed to allow the New York Times to publish his story out of frustration over the losses.

"I have never seen anything like this in Bakhmut or Soledar. It is such a waste," he said.

Ukrainian soldiers recount chaotic retreat

Marine Maxim, who is recovering in hospital after being wounded in Krynki in November, said air strikes and fire from Russian tanks, artillery and mortars were so intense that his platoon could not move out of the basement where the soldiers first took shelter.

After three soldiers were killed in an airstrike, the platoon was ordered to evacuate. It turned into a chaotic and disastrous retreat. The soldiers were shelled as they made their way to the riverbank in the dark, and when they arrived, they were told they would have to wait three hours for a boat to pick them up. At this time, Russian planes were bombing heavily.

Of the 10 men in his platoon, half were killed or missing, the rest were wounded.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said it could not immediately comment on the soldier's allegations, but said it would respond in due course.

Earlier, on December 14, British intelligence reported that a Russian paratrooper division had suffered extremely heavy losses in an attempt to repel Ukrainian forces near the village of Krynki on the left bank of the Dnieper River in the Kherson region, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's assertions to the contrary.

According to the latest update of the Ukrainian war on the Rybar channel, on December 17, in the Kherson direction, at the Krynki hotspot, the situation remained tense, with continuous battles taking place with active use of artillery. Ukraine is trying to expand the controlled area towards the forest area but is suffering heavy losses.

In addition, Ukraine is having difficulty evacuating the wounded and delivering supplies. Despite the fact that Kiev forces are in a difficult situation, they continue to hold the bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnieper River.

Kyiv Independent quoted a report from the General Staff of the Ukrainian forces on December 17, also confirming that their soldiers still held positions on the left bank of the Dnieper and Kherson regions, continuing to fire at the enemy.