The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine (GUR) announced, "In the early hours of 28/7, reconnaissance troops landed on Tendrovskaya Island, eliminating a Russian military position, personnel, the Zont electronic warfare system, and the Rosa radar station. The Ukrainian flag has been raised on the island".
The GUR described this as a "daring landing operation," stating that no Ukrainian soldiers were injured or killed during the mission.
The video released by the GUR shows the planning and execution of the operation, with Ukrainian soldiers traveling by speedboat and landing on the shore. "Ukrainians are returning and will take back what is theirs," a Ukrainian soldier says in the video.
However, the video does not show any fighting or the damage claimed by Ukrainian intelligence.
Vladimir Saldo, the Moscow-appointed official in the Kherson region, said Russian forces had thwarted the Ukrainian landing attempt on Tendrovskaya Island. "The enemy once again tried to land on Tendrovskaya Island in the early hours of 28/7. Russian soldiers detected the Ukrainian boats and immediately opened fire," he said.
The Russian official said Ukrainian forces used both first-person view (FPV) drones and Bayraktar TB2 reconnaissance drones, but claimed they were ineffective and emphasized that "the enemy suffered heavy losses".
Tendrovskaya Island is 65 km long and 1.8 km wide at its widest point. It is located southwest of Kherson region and northwest of the Black Sea. Control of the island would allow Ukraine to launch attacks on coastal settlements in the Kherson region and the Crimean Peninsula.
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Location of Tendrovskaya Island. Graphics: RYV |
Ukrainian forces have repeatedly attempted to capture Tendrovskaya Island since the beginning of the conflict. In August 2024, the GUR reported that Ukrainian special forces landed on the island and destroyed enemy equipment, while Russia claimed to have shot down three boats carrying Ukrainian soldiers.
Kherson is one of 4 provinces Russia claimed to have annexed in late 2022, along with Donetsk, Lugansk, and Zaporizhzhia. Russia currently controls about 75% of the Kherson region, while the territory on the west bank of the Dnieper River, including the eponymous capital city, remains under Ukrainian control.
Pham Giang (According to RIA Novosti, TASS, Kyiv Independent)
