On June 6, in a video released by the Russian Ministry of Defense, a Ukrainian army speedboat was breaking through the waves. Suddenly, an ammunition falling from the sky hit the hull. The explosion of the fire instantly swallowed the boat, and the soldiers who fell into the water struggled in the turbid river. The images in just over a dozen seconds are a cruel epitome of Russia and Ukraine's life-and-death game around this river.
This is not an isolated incident. Just three months ago, the airborne artillery of the Russian "Dnieper" cluster used drones to lock the speedboat carrying Ukrainian landing soldiers. The precise strike of the 152mm howitzer sank several ships to the bottom of the river. Earlier, the Ukrainian army tried many times to cross the Antonovsky Bridge in the direction of Khlsson, but all ended in failure. Behind every crossing of the river is the key plan of the Ukrainian army to create conditions for attacking Crimea, and every failure exposes the fatal weakness of crossing the river.
Why did the Ukrainian army repeatedly attack this river of death? The Dnieper River runs across Ukraine and connects strategic areas such as Kiev and Kherson. The terrain on the west bank of the river is higher, and the Ukrainian army has a geographical advantage. If you can cross the river and build a bridgehead on the east bank, you can cut off the Russian supply line and approach Crimea. But the ideal is full and the reality is skinny - the Russian army has already weaved a "net of heaven and earth": drones are hovering around the clock to monitor, and artillery positions are ready. Once the target is discovered, the firepower from the "Hail" rocket launcher to the "Hydrome" howitzer instantly covers the river surface.
Russian military expert Maxim Krimov pointed out the key: there are no dead ends in the modern battlefield. "Aerial drones and smart ammunition, large ships are living targets, and only small speedboats can deal with each other by speed and concealment." However, the latest video proves that even speedboats cannot escape hunting. Russian drone operators are like "high-altitude anglers", waiting quietly for prey to enter the aiming circle.
Deeper competition is carried out at the technical level. The Ukrainian army once used unmanned boats to carry missiles to shoot down Russian fighter jets. However, the Russian army quickly adjusted its tactics and used a combination of drones and artillery to counter the crossing of the river. This system is efficient and low-cost - a reconnaissance drone guides shells, which is much less risky than dispatching fighter jets. However, the Ukrainian speedboats lack effective air defense and almost "run naked" in the face of air threats.
Russian soldiers on the front line of Khlsong revealed that crossing the river is usually done at dawn or late at night, but the infrared lens of the drone makes the night color meaningless. Although the Ukrainian artillery on the West Bank can provide cover, the Russian military can retreat to a safe distance and use long-range firepower to control the field, creating a dead end in "If you cross the river and get bombed, you will not cross the river and stay stalemate."
This offensive and defensive battle across the river reflects a microcosm of the entire conflict. On the one hand, the Ukrainian army used Western intelligence and speedboats to seek breakthroughs with small gains; on the other hand, the Russian army relied on deep defense and unmanned equipment to consume the opponent's vitality. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced the reconstruction of the Dnieper Fleet and planned to form 14 divisions by the end of the year, obviously preparing to turn the river into a "meat grinder".
See a more severe signal from the details of the video: the probability of a soldier falling into the water is extremely low. The Dnieper River flows deep and fast. If no one rescues the soldiers after they fall into the water, they will disappear within a few minutes. The sinking of a speedboat is behind the long night of countless families. When Russia and Ukraine write about the victory and defeat with steel and flame on the river surface, the real price will always sink to the turbid bottom of the river.
