Ukraine crosses the Dnipro River

On November 13, the state news agency RIA Novosti published three hot news stories, saying that the commander of Russia's Dnepr force group had decided to move troops to "more favorable positions" east of the Dnipro River.

According to RIA, after regrouping, the Dnieper forces will deploy some troops for attacks on other fronts. In addition, RIA also said that the Russian military command agreed with the Dnieper leadership's conclusions and ordered the start of troop redeployment.

Minutes later, RIA retracted all three reports without explanation.

TASS published a story about the regrouping of forces in a more favorable position, but later retracted the story. The agency explained that it had published it by mistake and apologized to readers.

The word regrouping has been used by Russia in previous situations to describe a withdrawal, according to Reuters. RBC quoted a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry saying that "sending a false report about the regrouping of troops in the Dnipro region, allegedly on behalf of the press center of the Russian Defense Ministry, is a provocation."

So far, Ukraine has released little information about its military operations on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River. The US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said last week that Ukraine appeared to have launched a cross-river offensive in Kherson Oblast in mid-October, noting that Russian military bloggers had reported continued Ukrainian activity on the eastern bank of the river. In its November 12 update, ISW said Ukrainian forces had made small advances on the eastern bank.

AFP quoted a report by Russian military bloggers on November 13 saying that the Ukrainian army had held a stronghold in the village of Krynky on the east bank of the Dnipro River, about 35 km upstream from the city of Kherson.

Last year, Russia withdrew from the western bank of the Dnipro River, including the city of Kherson, the capital of the Dnipro region. Ukraine crossing the river and establishing a bridgehead there would be a major step forward.

The Kremlin on November 13 declined to comment on the news agencies' retraction and on the progress of the military operation in Ukraine. "In this case, we believe that military experts can and should comment," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Meanwhile, TASS quoted a local emergency services official as saying that the Russian military destroyed a self-propelled howitzer and a Ukrainian troop concentration near Krynky.

On the Ukrainian side, Kherson governor Oleksandr Prokudin said Russian attacks in the capital city killed two civilians during the day, injured 10 others, and damaged 15 houses, a hospital and eight vehicles.

Russia and Ukraine did not comment on each other's information.

Ukraine before winter war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on November 12 that Kyiv should prepare for the coming winter as Russia is expected to intensify its attacks on energy infrastructure, as it did last year. Attacks on Ukraine’s power grid left thousands of people without heating and power for the winter.

"Ukraine's air defense shield is stronger than last year but unfortunately it does not protect the entire territory. And we are trying to make it better," AFP quoted the leader as saying. Ukraine has received air defense systems from the West, including the US Patriot system.

Mr Zelensky's statement was published shortly after Chief of Staff of the President Andriy Yermak announced that he had traveled to the US to discuss strengthening Ukraine's defense system.

Energy Minister German Galushchenko said at the weekend that Ukraine would have enough energy to get through the winter but that would depend on the number of attacks and the extent of the impact on energy supplies.

In an announcement on November 12, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that Germany would double its military aid to Ukraine in 2024 to 8 billion euros, according to AFP. "This is a strong signal to Ukraine that we are not giving up," as international attention turns to the Hamas-Israel conflict, Pistorius said. The minister also noted that the upcoming aid amount was adjusted based on the experience of this year, when the prepared funds were quickly exhausted.