Ukrainian soldiers feel they have been abandoned on a crucial part of the frontline and their situation is being 'hushed up': report

• A Ukrainian soldier told the BBC of the situation on a key part of the frontline.
• The soldier said some troops feel "abandoned" by the command, the outlet reported.
• Ukrainian forces are battling to hold onto territory won back near the Dnipro River.

A Ukrainian soldier told the BBC that Ukrainian forces fighting to defend a crucial part of the frontline feel "abandoned" by their command.

The soldier, who the BBC did not name, described the situation near Kherson, south Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces recently won back territory on the Russian-occupied east bank of the Dnipro River near the village of Krynky.

In the interview, the soldier described how Ukrainian forces are struggling to reinforce and resupply their positions amid intense Russian attacks.

"We paid for a lot of our own kit - buying generators, power banks and warm clothes ourselves. Now the frosts are coming, things will only get worse - the real situation is being hushed up, so no one will change anything," he told the BBC.

"No one knows the goals. Many believe that the command simply abandoned us. The guys believe that our presence had more political than military significance. But we just did our job and didn't get into strategy."

The soldier also told the BBC that many of the marines sent to help defend the Dnipro River were so inexperienced they "can't even swim."

In the summer, Ukraine launched a wide-ranging counteroffensive to drive back Russian forces from territory they occupy in south and east Ukraine.

The fighting had degenerated into a stalemate, but recent Ukrainian successes in attacks across the Dnipro had raised hopes in Kyiv.

As the war has dragged on, Ukraine has encountered manpower problems. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a TV address last week after meeting senior commanders, said reinforcing parts of the frontline coming under intense attack was a key priority.

"In all major sectors where reinforcement is needed, [we must] speed up building of structures," he said in his nightly address, reported the AFP.

Ukraine's Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.