- Russian troops are refusing to attack Ukrainian positions near Kherson, Ukraine said.
- The troops are hesitant after taking losses in their own minefields, per Ukraine.
- It said the location of the mines was classified and not being shared.
Russian troops are being injured by their own minefields because commanders won’t share their locations, Ukraine’s military claimed.
The assessment was made by the Ukrainian military in an update posted on Wednesday.
The information was noted in English by the US-based Institute for the Study of War in its daily update.
Per the Ukrainian account, the troops operating near the city of Kherson were not being told where the mines are on the grounds that it’s classified information.
Citing Ukrainian officials, the ISW said that Russian units were “refusing to conduct assaults on Ukrainian positions due to a lack of artillery coordination, tactical intelligence transmission, and proper communication about the location of Russian minefields.”
“The Ukrainian General Staff reported that maps of the Russian minefields are classified and that Russian commanders have not properly coordinated with assault units about the locations of these minefields, leading to 50 casualties among elements of the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade in the last month,” the ISW said.
The report said that the situation there “continues to degrade Russian morale and combat capabilities.”
Ukrainian forces have been trying to break through Russian defenses in south Ukraine since summer.
The Dnipro river forms a natural dividing line between the two sides in the Kherson region, and has been difficult to get past.
Russia laid vast minefields to defend its positions across the front line, which have been a huge obstacle for Ukraine.
The latest update suggests they are a problem for the Russians as well, limiting their ability to advance.
Russia has experienced recurrent problems because of a lack of effective commanders and military communications, The Foreign Policy Research Institute said in March.
In recent weeks Ukrainian forces made a small but important breakthrough, establishing a foothold in the eastern, Russian-occupied bank of the Dnipro.
Russian forces have largely managed to repel Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive. But the successful push into Russian-occupied territory in the south, though incremental, has raised hopes Ukraine could be able to make a breakthrough, analysts told CNBC.
