Ukraine has continued to target Kherson, damaging the Antonivskyi Bridge with rocket fire. The bridge is the main path for Russia to move equipment into occupied Kherson, which was contested fiercely at the onset of the war.
Initial strikes saw minor damage to the bridge, with Russian forces able to make sufficient repairs to continue to transport lighter materiel. Ongoing attacks, reportedly using HIMARS, have rendered the bridge unusable. Since Russian forces have been confirmed to begin operating a pontoon bridge and ferry, though initial sources claim these are also being targetted by Ukrainian artillery.
Although Russian forces have been moving reinforcements into Kherson, this has been at the cost of advances in the Donbas, which Russian and Western analysts consider to be ‘marginal’ in the coming weeks. Russian forces in the Donbas, primarily Wagner troops and DPR/LPR militia, are the most effective units in Russia’s forces in theatre; however, there is evidence that the Wagner Group is relaxing its recruitment requirements and training regimens, with some troops receiving as little as two weeks of training before being sent into the Donbas.
World Affairs International 