Ukrainian ‘foothold’ over Dnipro at Kherson as Zelenskiy says Avdiivka costly to Russian war effort

Presence of Ukrainian troops on Russian-held side of Dnipro river is acknowledged for first time and opens up potential route to Crimea

The Ukrainian president's chief of staff has acknowledged for the first time that Ukraine's forces in the Kherson region have a foothold on the eastern bank of the Dnipro river, potentially opening a new line of attack towards Crimea.

Russian troops abandoned the western bank of the river a year ago and took up positions on the eastern side from which they have been regularly shelling towns and villages opposite.