Ukrainian Soldiers Say They Are Advancing in the South, but at a Cost

Matthew Luxmoore

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Ukrainian army units pushing toward Kherson in the south are retaking ground held for months by Russia’s invading troops amid extremely fierce fighting, according to Ukrainian soldiers taking part in the offensive.

The Ukrainians said that Russian soldiers seemed well-equipped and were putting up stiff resistance.

“They’re throwing everything against us,” said a 22-year-old Ukrainian soldier who said Russians were fighting with artillery, tanks, helicopters and mortars. “They have a lot of equipment but few men.”

Interviews with eight soldiers who took part in fighting—and were being treated for injuries at a hospital behind the front lines—offered the most detailed on-the-ground picture yet from an offensive that Ukraine hopes will help it seize the initiative in the conflict and show its Western backers, and its own people, that its military can take on Moscow’s army and win.

Ukrainian officials are saying little publicly about the offensive, citing the need for secrecy in military operations.

Video Dispatch: Ukraine Launches Southern Offensive as Residents Flee the EastPlay video: Video Dispatch: Ukraine Launches Southern Offensive as Residents Flee the East

Ukraine has launched an assault in the south of the country in an effort to reclaim the Russian-occupied Kherson region. Meanwhile, Russian shelling has forced some of the last residents of Ukraine’s east to flee. WSJ’s Matthew Luxmoore reports from near Ukraine’s front lines. 

The Pentagon’s assessment, given at a briefing by its spokesman Wednesday, appeared to support the soldiers’ cautious optimism.

“We are aware of Ukrainian military operations that have made some forward movement, and in some cases in the Kherson region we are aware of Russian units falling back,” Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters.

The soldiers and medics at a hospital in southern Ukraine agreed to speak on condition that their identities and location wouldn’t be revealed. All took part in the offensive that began Monday with the aim of seizing the initiative in the war.

The attacks Monday at several points along the front lines came after weeks of softening up Russian forces with long-range rocket attacks.

Ukraine’s long-awaited thrust in the south is advancing into territory that the Russians occupied in the early days of their invasion, according to soldiers who took part in fighting. But it is a hard slog against a well-equipped enemy, they said.

Ivan, a 32-year-old private, said his unit’s task was simple: “Go in, f—them up, retake what’s ours.”

Injured Ukrainian servicemen including Ivan, a 32-year-old private, describe an offensive that Ukraine hopes will help it seize the initiative against Russia.PHOTO: THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

He said the offensive started well for his unit, which seized a village from the Russians in the early hours of fighting.

But that same Monday, he wound up in hospital with a concussion after a teammate fired a rocket launcher a few steps from where he stood.

“The guys are in a fighting mood,” said Ivan, a former construction worker from southwest Ukraine. “They’re moving forward.”

He said some Russian troops are fleeing their positions, abandoning equipment and booby-trapping the bodies of dead comrades they leave behind. Ivan showed footage that he said was sent to him by comrades on the front line, appearing to show dead Russian soldiers on the outskirts of a village that he said was seized by Ukrainian forces on Tuesday.

Ivan said Ukrainian forces had thrust toward Kherson, the regional capital, and were trying to clear villages along the way.

Russian military bloggers who are close to the country’s Defense Ministry have noted another Ukrainian advance, across the Inhulets River to the northeast of Kherson. The Russian Defense Ministry has described Ukraine’s offensive as a failure.

“We’re advancing in some areas and being battered in others,” said Pavlo, a 22-year-old soldier who was concussed in a battle on Tuesday and says he now hears a sound akin to a broken television in his head.

The head of the intensive-care unit where some of the soldiers were being treated said the military warned him of the offensive a week in advance, spurring hopes of imminent victories.

“But when they started bringing in such a large number of wounded, then, honestly, I felt sorry for them and I started wondering if this was worth doing at such a cost,” said the doctor. “I don’t know. There’s no right answer here.”