Ukrainian Forces conduct pre-dawn landing operation on Kinburn Spit
On the morning of August 9, gunfire and explosions were heard in the area of the Russian-occupied Kinburn Spit. Ukrainian forces might have tried to land on the last part of the Mykolaiv region controlled by Russian forces. Russian-appointed "head of Kherson region administration," Vladimir Saldo, commented on the events in the Telegram channel of Russian media outlet RIA Novosti
A message with Saldo's comments appeared online at 10:16 AM. Saldo claimed that there was an Ukrainian attempt to land troops. According to him, Ukrainians approached the Kinburn Spit on three boats. Russian armed forces reportedly "stopped the attempt to cross the Dnipro," the statement said.
RIA Novosti had written about the incident an hour earlier, citing an unnamed military source. The event allegedly took place at 4 AM on August 9, with the landing occurring on 20 boats. Similarly, TASS also reported on this, with their source assuring that the attack was carried out using two boats.
Russian command has not commented on the events in the southern occupied territories. The Ukrainian General Staff and the Ministry of Defense’s Intelligence Directorate have also not mentioned the gunfire and explosions on the spit in the Black Sea.
"Nykylaievskiy Vanek," a representative of the Resistance Forces, wrote a few words about the events on the banks of the Dnipro estuary. He stated on his Telegram channel that Ukrainian forces struck Russian positions opposite Ochakiv. According to him, the Russians tried to respond, after which "everything they had" was thrown back at them.
The Kinburn Spit is part of the Mykolaiv region, located opposite Ochakiv (a distance of about 3-10 km by water). It remains under occupation, and reports of activity in this area occasionally emerge.
For instance, on March 12, 2024, a Russian ship named "Mechanic Pogodin" was destroyed nearby, as reported by the Ukrainian Navy.
On August 8, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s Intelligence Directorate spoke about a secret special operation conducted by Ukrainians on Tendra Spit, located south of Kinburn. The scouts reported destroying a Russian artillery installation, fortifications, air defense equipment, and accomplished other undisclosed objectives. The landing was carried out with at least 10 boats, as seen in the video. Ukrainian war veteran Ivan Timochko explained that besides military objectives, the operation aimed to demonstrate the FSB’s inability to control the occupied territories.