How does the Kakhovka Dam breach affect the Ukraine Counter-offensive?
Few observers expected Ukraine to replicate its blitz across Kharkiv.
In anticipation of Ukrainian attacks, Russia prepared the most extensive fortifications in Europe since World War II across the territory it holds in Ukraine.
In Kherson Oblast, Russian forces have relied on the Dnipro River to serve as their first line of defense.
The breach of the Kakhovka Dam further enhances Russia’s defensive positions and disrupts whatever planning was ongoing for a Ukrainian offensive in Kherson Oblast.
www.csis.org/analysis/impact-kakhovka-dam-breach-new-ukrainian-counteroffensive
Initially, there were questions on how the dam collapsed or who was to blame, but mounting evidence indicates that the dam was deliberately breached by Russia.
The flooded river has created an insurmountable obstacle in southern Ukraine, which is allowing Russia to reposition soldiers from Kherson, where the damage is most acute, to other areas to support their defense.
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