Kyiv: According to a new analysis, Ukrainian military forces have successfully established positions on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River, sparking speculation on Sunday that the advancements could be a precursor to Kyiv's long-awaited spring counteroffensive.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, reported late Saturday that geolocated video from military bloggers who were pro-Kremlin suggested that Ukrainian forces had established a foothold close to the town of Oleshky and had "stable supply lines" to their positions.

According to most analysts, if Ukraine goes ahead with a spring offensive, one of its main objectives would be to breach the land border between Russia and the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, which would require crossing the Dnieper River in the south of the country.

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The spokeswoman for Ukraine's Operational Command South, Natalia Humeniuk, urged patience in response to reports in the Ukrainian media that the establishment of such positions meant the counteroffensive had started.

She only stated that specifics of military operations in the Dnieper delta couldn't be disclosed for operational and security reasons, neither confirming nor disputing the ISW report.

When "an obstacle like the Dnieper, when the front line passes through a wide and powerful river, must be overcome," Humeniuk continued on Ukrainian television, he said that it was "very difficult work."

The Kherson region's head, who was appointed by the Kremlin and is one of the four regions of Ukraine that Russia claimed it was illegitimately annexing in September, denied on Sunday that Ukrainian forces have gained ground there.

Asserting that Russian forces are "in full control" of the region in a Telegram update, Vladimir Saldo suggested that the images cited by the ISW might have shown Ukrainian sabotage units that "managed to take a selfie" across the Dnieper before being driven back.

Since the Russian invasion more than a year ago, the recent fighting has devolved into an attrition-based conflict in which neither side is able to gain the upper hand.

However, Ukraine has recently received advanced weapons from its Western allies, and new troops have recently completed Western-style training, raising hopes for a counteroffensive.

Patriot missiles made in the United States arrived in Ukraine last week, and military spokesman Yuriy Ihnat said on Ukrainian television on Sunday that some of them have already been used in combat.

In October, the US agreed to send the surface-to-air missiles, which are capable of taking out aircraft, cruise missiles, and shorter-range ballistic missiles like those that Russia has used to bombard civilian targets and the Ukrainian power grid.

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The bloodiest fighting has taken place in the eastern part of the Donetsk region, where Russia is battling valiant Ukrainian defence while attempting to encircle Bakhmut.

Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Defence Ministry, claimed on Sunday that Moscow's forces had taken two more neighbourhoods in Bakhmut's western region, but he gave no further details or indicated which areas were still under Ukrainian control.

The Dnieper has served as the boundary between the south and the Kherson region, where the capital city of the same name is frequently shelled by Russian forces deployed across the river.

ISW reported that Ukrainian forces were approaching the nearby village of Dachi in addition to having established a foothold close to the town of Oleshky, which is across the Dnieper delta from Kherson.

ISW reported that the bloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces had held these positions for weeks and established reliable supply lines to them, indicating a lack of Russian control over the region. These claims were made in Telegram posts on Thursday and Saturday, respectively.

The Associated Press confirmed the bloggers' posts, but it wasn't possible to independently confirm the information right away.

In the spring, Russia is also anticipated to intensify its attacks, but according to ISW, senior Russian defence officials appear to favour consolidating recent victories in Ukraine over expensive new operations as Moscow struggles to find enough resources and personnel.

The Wagner Group is a private Russian military firm whose fighters are leading the assault on Bakhmut. The think tank cited remarks made by financier Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group, in support of its claims.

On its official Telegram channel, Prigozhin's press service posted comments he made on Saturday, in which he argued that Russian forces must "anchor (themselves) in such a way that it is only possible to tear (them) out with (the) opponent's claws."

The interview was released not long after Western leaders gathered at the German air base of Ramstein made a commitment to continue their military support of Kiev and train more Ukrainian personnel.

The UK Ministry of Defence noted Sunday in an intelligence briefing that Russian authorities had mounted a sizable military recruitment campaign using social media, billboards, and state television as Moscow seeks to increase its troop numbers.

It stated that Russian officials are "almost certainly seeking to delay any new, overt mandatory mobilisation for as long as possible to minimise domestic dissent," and that this most recent attempt would probably fall short of the defence ministry's stated goal of recruiting 400,000 new volunteers.

Local authorities in eastern Ukraine said that during attacks overnight, Russian forces fired at least five S-300 missiles at Kharkiv, the second-largest city in the nation, and the surrounding area.

Oleh Syniehubov, the regional governor of Kharkiv, claimed that although the missiles destroyed a commercial building and several private residences, no one was hurt.

Gov. Oleksandr Prokudin reported on Telegram on Sunday morning that one civilian was killed and two were injured in Kherson as a result of 54 strikes by Russian forces using artillery, drones, and warplanes.

According to a Facebook post by Ukraine's Operational Command South on Sunday, Russian forces also dropped five guided aerial bombs over the Kherson region on Saturday and overnight. The bombs, which were dropped from drones and planes, damaged numerous homes but did not result in any casualties, the post claims.

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Prokudin reported in a Telegram post that two women, aged 85 and 57, were hospitalised in the Kherson region after being hurt in a Russian artillery attack that also destroyed about 25 homes and a local school in the village of Kizomys.
A 56-year-old man was hurt by Russian shelling in Stepnohirsk, a town on the banks of the Dnieper river, in the nearby Zaporizhzhia region, local governor Yurii Malashko wrote on Telegram.