Nowhere to Hide! Putin's Troops Are Trapped in the Dnieper Death Zone

In a desperate attempt to free themselves, a group of Russian soldiers board a boat and set sail from a swampy island in the Dnieper Delta. Concealed with makeshift camouflage of reeds and mud, they hide in the water, hoping that the narrow channels will conceal their retreat back to Russian-occupied territory.

But, as The Telegraph reports, high above, the Ukrainian military is watching their every move. Soon, the buzz of a kamikaze drone is heard. He descends to the boat and it explodes.

The encounter encapsulates the reality of life and death on the Dnieper River, where hundreds of Russian soldiers are stranded and starving on islands south of Kherson.

“This area is a death zone for Russia. There is nowhere for them to hide,“ Colonel Alexander Zaavtonov of the 30th Marine Corps of Ukraine told the publication.

After the liberation of Kherson in November 2022, the river has become a de facto front line. The right bank of the river is held by Ukraine, while the low, flood-prone left bank is occupied by Russian troops.

Constant drone flights, artillery shelling, and nighttime raids have turned this area into one of the most dangerous battlefields, where progress is measured in meters and survival often depends on cover and timeliness.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, 5,100 Russians have died in the delta since the beginning of this year. There are also reports of Russian soldiers dying of starvation due to lack of food.

"The prisoners that our fighters recently took on the islands told of the impossibility of delivering them food and drinking water and that they were forced to drink water from the river", Zaavtovnov stated.

"The Russian offensive is being carried out by small groups that are trying to disguise themselves – a tactic that was not used at the beginning of the war“, emphasized Oksana Kuzan, head of the analytical department of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation.

She added that the Russian units that remained on the islands in the Dnieper delta are experiencing serious problems with food, ammunition and rotation.

The publication noted that the compact, well-camouflaged Russian units can use the islands for reconnaissance tasks or for the deployment of outposts.

Control over the water surface gives soldiers the opportunity to control the passage of rivers, the movement of boats and potential routes for the enemy's supply.

However, the islands are low-lying and surrounded by open water, which makes Russian troops visible and easy to hit from the air or from the other bank of the river.

"This is a large area of water; "There is nowhere to hide on the islands themselves, and the terrain is mostly swampy, and the units that pass through them will be very vulnerable," Zaavtonov explains.

It is known that units of the 98th Airborne Division, transferred from Kramatorsk, are operating on the islands.

It was also reported that in April Russian marines from the 61st Separate Brigade landed on the islands, who deliberately held their positions for several months.

On October 15, according to intelligence, Russian troops attempted to land forces to rotate the Krugliy, Malyy, Bilorudiy and Oleksievsky islands, as well as to organize rear support and establish observation posts. But this attempt proved unsuccessful.

"Ukrainian defenders are holding their positions; there have been no losses or breakthroughs", Colonel Zaavtonov said.

The Commander of the Ukrainian Navy, Dmytro Pletenchuk, told the publication that the Russians are constantly trying to take control of the islands, "despite the losses among their servicemen".

"The islands, like any other territory of Ukraine, are important... The Russians who are strengthening themselves on the islands will not hold out for long", he commented.