The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that its forces thwarted several attempts by Ukrainian units to cross the Dnipro River in the Kherson region (south), while the Ukrainian Air Force announced the destruction of a missile and 6 drones launched by Russia.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces intercepted on Saturday what it called Ukrainian "sabotage and reconnaissance teams" while trying to cross the Dnipro River, noting that they also destroyed water-crossing equipment and vehicles near the village of Stanislav.
It comes after the U.S. Institute for the Study of War said Friday that Ukrainian forces appeared to have penetrated the east bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson in southern Ukraine.
The governor of Kherson, appointed by Russia, said three Ukrainian missiles destined to hit targets in Crimea were shot down Sunday over an area controlled by Russian forces in the province.
Ukraine regained control of parts of Kherson late last year, after Russian forces held them for months before retreating to the other side of the Dnipro River and continuing to bombard the city from there.
The governor of the Kharkiv region (northeast) said that a Russian missile hit a mail distribution center in Kharkiv (the second largest Ukrainian city) on Saturday, killing 6 people and wounding 14 others.
In turn, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Sunday that Ukrainian air defense systems destroyed a cruise missile and 6 attack drones launched by Russia on Saturday evening, adding that Russian forces launched a total of 9 cruise missiles.
These attacks continue as part of hit-and-run battles in the Russian-Ukrainian war that broke out in late February 2022, and each side says that it inflicts significant losses on the other side in lives and equipment, and the two sides issue conflicting statements regarding the progress of forces on the ground.