Ukraine Has Launched Its Southern Counteroffensive

A Ukrainian air force fighter shot down one of the Russian air force's best jets near Kherson on Friday, according to the Ukrainian defense ministry.

The dramatic shoot-down, which took place as the Su-35 was chasing down Ukrainian attack planes, signaled an even more dramatic development on the ground.

Ukrainian army formations supported by American-made howitzers crossed the Inhulets River around the town of Davydiv Brid. The Russians went back to three towns to the southwest. The Ukrainian general staff described the towns as unfavorable.

It is possible that the assault was led by the 5th tank brigade. The brigade with its 100 or so T-72 tanks for three months helped guard Odesa from a possible amphibious assault.

Odesa isn't in any immediate danger of being attacked by a seaborne attack because of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Observers were watching the 5th Tank, wondering when it would join the fighting around Kherson. It may have been time.

Russian forces captured Kherson early in the war, but it's a long way from Davydiv Brid. The first step in a difficult march is crossing the river for the Ukrainians.

The prize could be worth it. Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to organize a sham referendum in Kherson to make it seem like the city is part of Russia.

The city and its 290,000 residents are being liberated by Volodymyr Zelenskyy in order to relieve some of the pressure on the southern cities of Mykolaiv and Odesa.

The timing of the counteroffensive by Ukraine is interesting. After burying as many as 15,000 of its soldiers in the north, the Kremlin has concentrated in the east of the country.

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The fighting in the east is bloody. Russian troops and mercenaries are slowly moving across a pocket of Ukrainian-held territory anchored in the east of the Donets River.

Moscow wants to starve and destroy the garrison in Severodonetsk and then declare a victory in eastern Ukraine, which has been under Russian and rebel control for the last three years.

The U.K. Defense Ministry stated that if Russia succeeded in taking over these areas, it would be seen by the Kremlin as a substantive political achievement and be portrayed to the Russian people as justifying the invasion.

The Russian assault may have cost the campaign. The Russians may have left the Kherson sector relatively weak. T-62 tanks were shipped in 60-year-old and thoroughly obsolete by the Kremlin as meager reinforcements for the southern forces.

According to the U.K. Defense Ministry, the T-62s will be particularly vulnerable to anti-tank weapons and their presence on the battlefield highlights Russia's shortage of modern, combat-ready equipment.

The advance of the Ukrainians toward Kherson remains to be seen. The terrain is difficult to attack. The Institute for the Study of War in Washington, D.C. said on Thursday that the Russians had time to dig trenches.

Air power could be decisive. The ground troops along the southern front are being supported by the attack planes. The general staff in Kyiv warned that the Russians had countered with fresh batteries of S-300 surface-to-air missiles.

The Kherson front has 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 888-349-8884 Russia has shifted many of its guns to the east, but it might still have an advantage in the south.