Russian-backed forces said on Wednesday they captured the Soviet-era Vuhlehirska coal-fired power plant intact, in what is Moscow’s first major gain in more than three weeks. Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, confirmed the seizure of the plant in the eastern Donetsk region, but said it was only a “small tactical advantage” for Russia. Map showing the location of Vuhlehirska in eastern Ukraine The Russian redeployment in the south appeared to be a shift from offensive to strategic defense, he added, with troops being sent to the Melitopol, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions. Ukraine has made it clear it intends to recapture the southern city of Kherson, which fell to Russia in the early days of the war. Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, earlier tweeted that Russia was massing “the maximum number of troops” in the direction of Kherson, but gave no details. Arestovich also said Ukraine’s operation to liberate Kherson “has already begun” after the Antonivskiy Bridge – a key Russian supply route to the Russian-held southern city – was hit on Wednesday. In a speech on Wednesday evening, Zelensky said: “We are doing everything to ensure that the occupation forces do not have logistical opportunities in our country” and promised to rebuild the Antonievsky Bridge and other crossings in the region. Russian officials earlier said they would turn to bridges and ferries to get forces across the river. Arestovich also confirmed Ukraine’s strategy to isolate Russian forces, saying in an interview on Ukrainian television on Wednesday night that there was a “certain plan” by Ukraine’s armed forces to “isolate [Russia’s] Military operations”. “No matter how much the enemy overtakes forces and resources on the west bank of the Dnieper, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will first leave them without ammunition depots, fuel, communications and command, and then clear the remnants of their forces. “, he said, adding that Russian forces had three options: “Retreat (if possible), surrender or be destroyed.” Another senior presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, added: “The occupiers must learn how to swim across the Dnieper River. Or you should get out of Kherson while it’s still possible. There may not be a third warning.” Ukrainian forces in the south said they killed 66 enemy soldiers and destroyed three tanks and two weapons dumps in the past 24 hours. Russian forces attacked the city of Mykolaiv with multiple rocket launchers, they added. Reuters was unable to verify reports on the battlefield. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said he was planning a telephone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov – the first between the two diplomats before the start of the war. The call in the coming days will not be a “negotiation on Ukraine,” Blinken told a news conference, reiterating Washington’s position that any talks to end the war must take place between Kiev and Moscow. In addition to discussing the Americans detained by Russia, Blinken said he would discuss with Lavrov the interim deal on grain exports reached last week between Russia, the US, Turkey and Ukraine. Russia has not received a formal request from Washington for a phone call between Blinken and Lavrov, Tass news agency reported. The U.S. has made “a substantial offer” to Russia to release two American citizens, WNBA star Brittney Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, Blinken said, without elaborating on what the U.S. offered in return. Blinken said he would press Lavrov to respond to the offer. A source familiar with the situation confirmed a CNN report that Washington was willing to exchange Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25-year prison sentence in the US, as part of a deal. The last publicly acknowledged contact between Blinken and Lavrov was on February 22, when Blinken wrote to Lavrov to cancel a meeting they had planned as a last-ditch effort to prevent Russian invasion, saying Moscow had shown no interest in serious diplomacy on the subject.
