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By Jon Jackson
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Ukraine on Sunday announced it had regained control of the tactically important Nestryha Island from Russian forces.
Captain Dmytro Pletenchuk, spokesperson for the Southern Operational Command of Ukraine's Armed Forces, told Ukrainian broadcaster Hromadske Radio that having control of the Dnieper River island in the Kherson region will significantly increase Kyiv's counter-sabotage measures.
After Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, his forces quickly occupied large portions of Kherson. However, Ukraine mounted a counteroffensive in the region later that year that saw its military liberate northern Kherson on the Dnieper's right bank. Since that time, Ukrainian forces have launched regular raids across the river, including the establishment of multiple bridgeheads on the Dnieper's eastern bank in the fall of 2023.
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Pletenchuk told Hromadske Radio that Nestryha Island, which is about 12 miles southwest of the city of Kherson, holds "tactical significance." He added that "any locations that prevent the enemy from approaching our positions are important."
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"Considering that the enemy usually uses similar locations—there are actually many such islands on the [Dnieper] River—to approach closer and to install mortar, then this is primarily important for the quality of counter-sabotage measures," Pletenchuk said. "So yes, this location was liberated from the potential presence of the enemy."
Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense via email on Monday for comment.
Describing the strategic importance of the island, the Kyiv Post said Nestryha "is key to future Ukrainian land operations to liberate occupied Crimea."
"As Ukrainian and Russian troops have been relying on boats for resupplies in the area, local geography has provided both sides with a limited number of routes available—capturing the island would give Ukraine better coverage of the area and limit the number of routes available to Moscow's troops," the Post said.
The newspaper added that the island "would also provide Ukraine with more supply options."
In his Sunday announcement on Telegram about Kyiv taking control of Nestryha Island, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi—commander in chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces—said his military had also advanced near the village of Veletenske in southern Kherson.
His post noted that the "situation is still tense" in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, with Putin's troops attempting advances in multiple sectors. Overall, Syrskyi wrote, conditions on the front line are "worsening" due to Russia's "significant advantage in forces and means."
Currently, the "most difficult" positions, according to Syrskyi, are in the Kharkiv region and the Pokrovsk district of the Donetsk region. However, he said that "in the most threatening areas, our troops have been reinforced by artillery and tank units."
"We are also working with partners to obtain weapons and military equipment as soon as possible," Syrskyi wrote in his Telegram post.
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