Russian forces are setting up pontoon crossings near the strategic Chonhar and Henichesk bridges after they were damaged by Ukrainian missile strikes, Natalia Humeniuk, press spokesperson for the South Operational Command, said at a briefing on Aug. 18.
The Washington Post reported on August 17 that the US intelligence community has assessed that Ukraine’s counteroffensive will fail to reach Melitopol in western Zaporizhia Oblast and will not achieve its principal objective of severing the Russian land b
Ukraine's 9-week counter-offensive makes "tactically significant" gains in east and south, advancing 10 to 12 miles despite built-up Russian fortifications.