Medvedev: We may be on the brink of a new world war

Ukraine launches raids across Dnipro River as counterattack approaches

A member of the Ukrainian troops is on the front line in Bakhmout. Reuters

Ukrainian forces stationed on the western side of the Dnipro River are frequently carrying out attacks on the east bank, near the city of Kherson, in an attempt to drive out Russian troops, with Ukraine expected to launch a counteroffensive in the spring to try to retake more territory, an official in the Dnipro region said yesterday.

The deputy head of the Kherson district administration, Yuri Sobolevsky, said that the aim of the attacks is to reduce the combat capability of Russian troops, who have been bombing the city of Kherson, since they were forced to withdraw.

"Our army visits the left bank a lot to carry out raids, and the Ukrainian armed forces are working very effectively," Sobolevsky told Ukrainian television.

"The results will come, and it will be similar to what happened on the right side of the Kherson region, when Ukrainian forces, thanks to a complex and long operation, were able to liberate our territory with minimal losses to our army, the same is happening now on the left side," he added.

Military analysts say Ukraine is likely to launch a counterattack soon, and that one of the main targets could be to breach a southern land corridor between Russia and the Russian-annexed region of Crimea. The restoration of the Kherson region will be an important step towards this goal.

The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War said Russian military bloggers posted enough geographically identified footage to confirm that Ukrainian forces had established a foothold on the east bank of the Dnipro River.

Russia's defence ministry accused Ukraine of trying to attack its ships in the Black Sea, saying it threatened the future of the grain export deal.

"The actions committed by the Kiev regime jeopardize the extension of the grain agreement beyond May 18 this year," the ministry said in a statement.

Former Russian President and Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, warned yesterday that the world may be on the brink of a new world war, and warned of the possibility of a nuclear confrontation is also increasing.

"The world is turbulent, and it is very likely that it is on the brink of a new world war," Medvedev said, adding that such a new world war could be avoided, but said the likelihood of a nuclear confrontation was growing more seriously than concerns about climate change.