RIGHT SPEAK: UKRaine Now in Full Control of Kherson Oblast’s Left Bank; RUssia Launches 'record' 75 Drones on UKR; ALL BUT 1 DOWNED; UKR Reports 74 Combat Engagements in Past 24hrs; UKR’s Forces Repel 30+ Enemy Attacks in 4 Eastern Sectors, LIVE UPDATES and MORE

Photo:Костянтин Ліберов і Владислава Ліберова / Zelenskiy / Official

Ukraine now in full control of Kherson Oblast’s left bank, forcing Russians to flee from reinforced ‘Surovikin:

Ukrainian forces have gained control of the Dnipro left bank’s floodplain in Kherson Oblast, forcing the Russians to build new defensive lines on hills farther from the river, former Aidar Battalion company commander Yevhen Dykyi told Radio NV.

"In fact, the Dnipro floodplain is effectively under Ukrainian control. And now the Russians are trying to prevent any further steps. They have essentially ceded the floodplain to us, but they are trying to dig in and fortify themselves where the terrain begins to rise. Although it's not accurate to call them hills, there is a slight elevation compared to the mostly flat terrain. At the moment, they are trying to dig in, fortify themselves, and establish some sort of defensive line along this elevation," Dykyi said, noting that the Russians have nothing similar to the so-called Surovikin defensive line.

"They built the Surovikin line for nine months, and now no one is giving them that much time, not even close. That's why, if we use World War II comparisons from time to time, we can say that our ’Normandy landing’ has already happened, and now, let's say, our Ardennes is ahead of us. That is, to break through from the beaches, so to speak, ‘from Normandy,’ in our case, from the Dnipro River floodplain, to break through into a wide operational space."

There have been reports of successes by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and advancements on the left bank of the Kherson region since mid-October. There were also reports of a breakthrough across the Dnipro into the occupied region near the villages of the Oleshkivska community.

Judging by the reaction of Russian "war correspondents," this operation could be more significant than previous similar raids by the AFU, the Institute for the Study of War said. --->READ MORE HERE

Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP

Russia launches 'record' 75 drones on Ukraine:

Ukraine said on Saturday it had downed 74 out of 75 drones Russia launched at it overnight, in what it said was the biggest such attack since the start of the invasion.

The Ukrainian army said Russia had launched a "record number" of Iranian-made Shahed drones, the majority of which targeted Kyiv, causing power cuts as temperatures dipped below freezing.

The drone attack came as Ukraine marked Holodomor Remembrance Day, commemorating the 1930s starvation of millions in Ukraine under Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

"The enemy launched a record number of attack drones at Ukraine! The main direction of the attack is Kyiv," said the commander of Ukraine's air force, General Mykola Oleshchuk.

The air force said it had downed "74 out of 75" Shahed drones.

Kyiv authorities said five people -- including an 11-year-old -- were wounded in the capital, where the air raid lasted six hours.

Falling drone debris had sparked fires and damaged buildings across the city, Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

AFP saw Kyiv residents clearing smashed windows and other damage in the city's Dniprovsky district, with ambulances parked nearby. --->READ MORE HERE