Ukrainian troops launch surprise raid across Dnipro River and break through some Russian lines

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }} {{ message }} {{ /verifyErrors }} {{ ^verifyErrors }} Something went wrong. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} Ukrainian forces launched a daring surprise raid across the Dnipro River in which they broke through Russian lines of defence. The river divides liberated Ukrainian territory on one bank and Russian-occupied land on the other, and for months it has served as part of the frontline in southern Ukraine. Russian military bloggers said that up to seven boats, each carrying up to six troops, arrived on the Russian-occupied bank, apparently under the cover of darkness, and advanced 800m. Blogger Trinadtsatyi, posting on the Telegram messaging app to more than 150,000 followers, said a number of Russian soldiers were allegedly killed or taken captive during the raid. Images circulating on social media appeared to show captured soldiers. While the fog of war makes such moves difficult to confirm completely, monitors of Russia’s invasion said there was clear signs of a major battle. The Russian-imposed head of the occupied part of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, claimed the Ukrainian raid had been repelled, but the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) based in the US – which tracks movements on the battlefield – said the ‘limited raid’ certainly appeared to have some success. While Russian forces did appear to push back the Ukrainian troops some, the ISW said “Saldo was likely purposefully trying to refute claims of Ukrainian presence in this area to avoid creating panic”. The ISW said of the raid: ‘The majority of prominent Russian [military bloggers] claimed that Ukrainian forces managed to utilise tactical surprise and land on the east bank before engaging Russian forces in small arms exchanges”. ‘Data from the past 24 hours in this area appear to confirm that there was significant combat, likely preceded or accompanied by artillery fire,’ the ISW added. The raid is said to have happened during an apparent rotation of Russian troops, as more experienced fighters were redeployed towards Zaporizhzhia in the south and the Donbas region in the east. Both are frontlines involving heavy fighting. Ukrainian forces have tried a number of times to cross the river, as gaining a foothold on the Russian-occupied bank would open the door to push further into Moscow-held territory. This latest raid appears to be the most significant attempt since a similar operation was launched by the Ukraine’s 73rd marine special operations unit. In Russia, one person was killed and more than 50 were injured in a blast on Wednesday at the site of a factory that makes optical equipment for Russia’s security forces in the town of Sergiev Posad, 30 miles (50km) northeast of Moscow, local authorities said. Emergency services said the explosion occurred in a warehouse containing pyrotechnic equipment, state news agency TASS reported. The state outlet also quoted emergency services as dismissing early reports that the blast could have been caused by a drone attack, many of which have taken place in Moscow and the surrounding area in recent weeks. Russia’s Investigative Committee, Russia’s top law enforcement agency, also denied that. Russia blames Ukraine for such attacks, and while Kyiv rarely claims such assaults, officials are happy to play up the disruption and suggest that the war is coming home to Russia. As a case in point, before the factory explosion, Russian officials said air defenses had shot down two drones aimed at the capital overnight, and they accused Ukraine of an attempted attack. One of the drones came down in the Domodedovo district south of Moscow, and the other fell near the Minsk highway west of the city, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. Moscow Domodedovo Airport is one of the Russian capital’s busiest airports. It wasn’t clear where the drones were launched, and Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment. Mr Sobyanin said there were no casualties. Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report