Ukraine: Attack launched on Kherson, controlled by Russia

The Ukrainian army claims that Russia has crossed the first line of defense with its attacks in the occupied Kherson region.

This move is seen as part of the long-awaited offensive launched by Kiev to reclaim the south of the country from Russia.

Ukraine's attacks, which have been going on for weeks, are aimed at cutting off the main Russian supply routes.

The Russian military did not comment on Ukraine's claim, but an official said it was "another fraudulent".

"Ukrainian troops are inflicting serious losses both in the south and in all other directions," said Sergei Aksyonov, the official appointed by Russia to the Crimea annexed in 2014.

The claims of Ukraine and Russia have not been independently verified.

Russia has occupied a large part of Ukraine's Kherson region since its attack on February 24.

On Monday, Ukraine's southern Kakhovka operational group said a regiment of Russian-backed forces had left their positions in the Kherson region, while Russian paratroopers providing support had fled the battlefield.

According to Hromadske TV, broadcasting from Ukraine, three sources from the Ukrainian army confirmed that the first line of defense had been broken.

Russia: Ukraine's attacks focused on civilian infrastructure

Ukrainian army spokesperson Natalia Humeniuk said "every military operation requires silence" and urged Ukrainians to be patient.

"We are focused on destroying the enemy's ammunition storage bases. More than 10 of these bases have been destroyed in the past week," the spokesperson said.

The Ukrainian military also claimed in a post on Telegram on Monday that it had hit several targets in Berislav.

Ukrainian officials stated that they used US-supplied Himars rocket systems to demolish three bridges over the Dnieper River and said these attacks would cut off the arms and troop reinforcements of the Russian forces occupying Kherson.

Russian media also reported on Monday that Ukrainian forces hit targets in the Kherson region, but the attacks focused on civilian infrastructure.

In the first days of the occupation, Russia had captured the city of Kherson and the surrounding region without much resistance.

Kherson, which had a population of 290,000 before the war, is the only regional capital captured by Russian forces and now has Moscow-backed administration.

According to the Russian news agency Tass, officials have advanced plans to hold a referendum on Kherson's formal integration into Russia, leading to US accusations that Russia may be preparing to illegally annex parts of occupied southern Ukraine.