Ukraine surge sees Russians in reverse
Breakthrough on southern front
UKRAINIAN forces have put Russia to flight and are poised to smash vital supply lines in their biggest breakthrough on the southern front.
While Kyiv’s counter-offensive has been devastating for President Vladimir Putin’s troops, the crucial battle for Kherson slowed efforts down until yesterday.
But after routing Russia all along the eastern battleground, Ukrainian fighters have finally burst through defences in the south.
They are now advancing rapidly along the Dnipro River – threatening supply lines for 25,000 invaders.
It came after Putin withdrew his troops from the strategic town of Lyman, occupied since May and a vital logistics hub, to avoid them being encircled.
Kyiv remained relatively quiet about the latest breakthrough – but a tank offensive has blazed dozens of miles past the former front line, liberating more villages.
Vladimir Saldo, the Kremlininstalled leader in Kherson province, admitted to state TV: “The information is tense, let’s put it that way, because, yes, there were breakthroughs. There’s a settlement called Dudchany, right along the Dnipro River, and there was a breakthrough.”
Dudchany is 20 miles south of where the front stood. Serhiy Khlan, a Kyiv-appointed Kherson official, said: “In the last few days, we have seen the first photo of
Osokorivka. We have seen our troops near Mykhailivka. This means our forces are moving powerfully along the Dnipro.”
Meanwhile, latest figures from the Central Statistics Office found 54,771 people from Ukraine arrived in Ireland up to September 25.
More than 1,000 people arrived in the previous week.
All Ukrainians have been issued with personal public service numbers under the Temporary Protection Directive.
Women aged 20 and over account for 46% of arrivals, while children and teenagers aged 0-19 years, both male and female, account for 35%. More than a third of all arrivals were one parent with children.