Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Some Russian troops even try to hide using civilian clothes, according to Ukrainian servicemen.
Ukrainian forces have isolated around 2,500 Russian soldiers stationed on the occupied Kinburn Spit, Ukrainian military personnel claim in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Constant drone strikes and remote mining operations have effectively severed main supply routes, leaving front-line units struggling to secure basic supplies.
Supply lines have collapsed. Routes that once carried food, fuel, and ammunition onto the narrow strip of land no longer function. Ukrainian forces have systematically targeted incoming transport vehicles, including quad bikes, cars, and motorcycles used for rotations.
Intercepted communications reveal severe stress among the troops trapped in the area. A Ukrainian reconnaissance commander known by the call sign “Yava” provided a vivid picture of the situation on the ground.
“They are screaming in intercepted communications that they cannot organize logistics, that they do not want to go there because it means death,” Yava told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Crimea.Realities project. “The spit has become a trap for them,” he added.
Why it matters
The Kinburn Spit is a vital strategic gateway to the Crimean Peninsula because it controls the mouth of the Dnipro-Buh Estuary and maritime access to key southern ports.
The Russian forces use the spit as an anchor to shell neighbouring Ukrainian targets, supporting the Russian operations in the South.
In December 2022, the University of Portsmouth published a blog post describing how the Kinburn Spit is of “vital military significance” and that it could open up the recapture of the entire Crimean Peninsula if Ukraine manages to take control of the spit.
Firepower pushed back
Russian units previously used the Kinburn Spit to launch heavy artillery attacks directly against Ukrainian territory. Systematic strikes by Ukrainian forces have since destroyed most of those firing positions.
Because of these losses, Russian troops can now target coastal areas in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region only by using longer-range artillery located further east in the Kherson region. Most remaining forces have retreated beyond the village of Heroiske.
The operational area remains extremely hazardous for non-combatants who still live on the peninsula.
Servicemen told Crimea.Realities that Russian soldiers frequently disguise themselves in civilian clothing and operate out of residential buildings. As there is still a civilian population on the spit, the Ukrainian forces have prohibited strikes on houses.
Instead, the Ukrainian forces do thorough reconnaissance and only attack if targets are verified.
Wrecked coastal ecosystem
The Kinburn Peninsula sits between the Black Sea and the Dnipro-Buh Estuary. It lies right across from the Ukrainian-controlled city of Ochakiv.
Russian troops have held the strip since 2022, using it to threaten vital shipping corridors near Odesa and Mykolaiv.
Years of heavy fighting have taken a devastating toll on the surrounding environment. Back in November 2025, Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk warned that the protected coastal ecosystem had been “practically destroyed” by fires, pollution, and military construction.
