Russians Fortify Defenses As Kinburn Spit Liberation Looms
After two weeks of heavy fighting for the strategic Kinburn Spit, Russian troops are reportedly reinforcing positions on the peninsula that, if lost, could pave the way for Ukrainian forces to drive deeper into Russian-held territory.
The Ukrainian effort to retake Kinburn Spit kicked off November 12th as the peninsula came within Ukrainian artillery range on the heels of the liberation of Kherson, which lies just across the Dnieper River. Officially captured by Russian forces in June, Kinburn Spit had been a hub for Russian electronic warfare and artillery coordination since. It is the last remaining territory in Mykolaiv Oblast under Russian occupation.
The Battle Is Far From Over But Signs Are Showing
While the battle is not over, Ukraine is signaling that the end may be near for Russian forces on the peninsula before the winter sets in, setting the stage for Ukraine to continue to push east toward the devastated port city of Mariupol.
Arguably as important, the retaking of Kinburn Spit, and ultimately the entire peninsula, is how Ukraine plans to once again open grain shipments from the Port of Mykolaiv to the Black Sea. Whoever controls the spit controls access to the sea from the Dnieper and Bug Rivers.
During a live news conference November 29th, Yevhen Yeren, Head of the Joint Press Center for Ukraine’s defense forces on the Tavriya front said, "The enemy is currently regrouping there. The situation unfolding at the Kinburn Spit is under control. As of now though, it’s too early to say that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have control over the Kinburn Spit."
The spit itself, just six miles long and a half-mile wide, leads to a broader peninsula that is being heavily fortified at the choke point to the mainland, according to information provided by The Institute for War.
But the Ukrainians have an ally in the fight: The weather. Like everywhere else in Ukraine, the weather is playing a major role that Ukraine considers an advantage.
"At these times, it is usually very stormy there.” said spokeswoman for the press center of the Operational Command Pivden (South), Natalia Humeniuk. “And it is impossible to hold on, even to just stand in one spot. Very powerful winds, storms, even nature washes away and drains the enemy from this land."
The site of a large fort and major engagement during the Crimean War in the mid-19th century, the peninsula was fiercely defended by the Ukrainians, taking the Russians until June to secure the territory. Ever since, Ukrainian forces have been looking for a way to retake it. In September, Russia claimed Ukrainian raiders were repelled in the first attack to retake the land – an attack never acknowledged by Ukraine, that reportedly killed more than a hundred Ukrainians.
In the weeks to follow, a half dozen different attacks on the spit, including absorbing rocket fire from Ukraine’s last remaining warship, the Yuri Olefirenko. The other attacks, suspected drone and artillery attacks on ammunition depots and equipment groupings, are reported to have killed dozens of Russian soldiers.
By November, Ukraine began launching seaborne operations onto the spit itself, with major fighting ongoing in what the Ukrainian military is describing as being in “quiet mode” before making any final announcements. That was November 14th, the same day a Reddit user reported Ukrainian forces liberating territory up to the settlement of Geroiskoe.
