Lauren C. Moye, FISM News

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The battle over Kherson continues to rage this weekend, although Russian forces claim to have successfully repelled all Ukrainian attempts to retake the region.

Russia claims that Ukraine attempted to advance on the western side of the Dnipro River. This meant attacking Russian strongholds in the towns of Piatykhatky, Suhanove, Sablukivka, and Bezvodne.

“All attacks were repulsed. The enemy was pushed back to their initial positions,” said the Russian Defense Ministry.

The settlements, located near the Dnipro River and to the northeast of Kherson, mark Ukraine’s offensive on the region which has been under Russian occupation for most of the duration of the war. The river itself is a prominent feature in the battle as it allows for troops and supplies to cross over to other regions, generates power through a hydroelectric dam, and provides drinking water for southern Ukraine.

The city of Kherson is of particular importance for its industrial capabilities, its position on the river, and its status as a Black Sea port city.

Despite Russian claims that all Ukrainian attacks have been successfully repelled so far today, the Kremlin-installed officials in the city of Kherson have told civilians to leave immediately. A statement posted on Telegram said, “Due to the tense situation at the front, the increased danger of massive shelling of the city, and the threat of terrorist attacks, all civilians must immediately leave the city and cross to the [east] bank of the Dnipro!”

The same statement also advised all Russian-installed government departments and ministries to evacuate.

Reuters reporters at the frontline said Ukrainian soldiers have noted a drop-off in Russian shelling. They suspect that troops have dug into a tree line. Some troop movements indicate that forces are preparing to abandon the city.

“We understand that they are low on ammunition. We understand they are short of cannon fodder, and we understand their equipment is defective,” said a Ukrainian commander.

However, AP News reported yesterday that the Kremlin has reinforced the region with up to 2,000 draftees and that the military is building fortifications in the city.

Ukraine has imposed an information blackout from the Kherson front.

Earlier this week, the Russian commander General Sergei Surovikin said the situation was “already difficult” and that Russia was “not ruling out difficult decisions” in the region.

Kherson is one of four regions Russia has illegally annexed and placed under martial law.

Nova Kakhovka Dam concerns

As Kyiv’s troops pressure the invaders in Kherson, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Russia plans to blow up the Nova Kakkhovka Dam after retreating from the city. 

This dam is located north of the Dnipro River and creates a reservoir of 4.8 billion gallons of water. If the dam is destroyed, it would send a wave of water through settlements to the south of it and towards Kherson.

“Now everyone in the world must act powerfully and quickly to prevent a new Russian terrorist attack. Destroying the dam would mean a large-scale disaster,” said Zelensky, accusing Russian troops of planting explosives in the dam.

He pleaded with other world leaders to treat this threat “exactly the same as the use of weapons of mass destruction.”

The president also warned that Russia would blame Ukraine for the attack.

Moscow has denied these claims. They instead claim that Ukraine has been rocketing the dam to destroy the canal system that currently supplies water to the Crimean Peninsula. Russia annexed this peninsula in 2014.

The dam is particularly concerning as Ukraine has already suffered one similar attack in its history. During World War II, Ukrainian historians say that Soviet forces rigged a dam further north on the river with dynamite as they retreated. The resulting flood killed thousands of people.

Russia continues attack on Ukraine’s power grid

Over 1 million Ukrainians were left without power on Saturday afternoon after a continued Russian onslaught against the Ukrainian power grid.

In all, Ukraine’s air force command said that 18 of 33 missiles had been shot down this weekend.

The latest attacks mean that at least half of all of Ukraine’s thermal generation capacity has been struck since Oct. 10.

“It’s quite a lot of capacity. I can tell you that it’s… at least half of thermal generation capacity, even more,” said German Galushchenko, Ukraine’s energy minister, on Friday.

With winter approaching, the resulting damage means Ukraine may need to import electricity to protect civilians through the cold months.

That led to some accusations of genocide.

“Deliberate strikes on Ukraine’s critical civilian infrastructure are part of Russia’s genocide of Ukrainians,” said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Twitter.