The Russian Armed Forces reported Friday that they have completed the transfer of troops to the western bank of the Dnieper River, which flows from the Russian territory to Ukraine through Belarus and has gained special significance in the framework of clashes with Ukrainian forces in the Kherson region.
The Russian forces have stated that no «losses of military personnel and equipment» have been registered during the operation, according to the Interfax news agency.
«Today the complete transfer has taken place in the Kherson direction,» Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said during a press conference. «Not a single piece of military equipment and weaponry has remained on the eastern side. All members of the Russian forces have crossed to the other side of the Dnieper,» he asserted.
Thus, he explained that the military units of the Army have occupied the defensive lines preventively in the area. «All civilians who wanted to leave the right side were assisted to be evacuated,» he said.
Commander Sergei Surovikin insisted that decisions regarding military movements in the vicinity of Kherson depend on the «military emergency situation».
