Ukrainian military forces establish positions on eastern side of Dnipro River: Report

Kyiv [Ukraine], April 24 : Ukrainian military forces have successfully established positions on the eastern side of the Dnipro River, as per a new analysis. This has given rise to speculations that the advances could be an early sign of Kyiv's long-awaited spring counteroffensive, Voice of America (VOA) reported.

According to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based research group, geo-located footage from pro-Kremlin military bloggers indicated that Ukrainian troops had established a foothold near the town of Oleshky, along with "stable supply lines" to their positions.

If Ukraine goes ahead with a spring counteroffensive, a major goal would be to break through the land corridor between Russia and the annexed Crimean Peninsula, which would necessitate crossing the Dnipro River in the country's south, according to analysts, VOA reported.

Natalia Humeniuk, the spokeswoman for Ukraine's Operational Command South responded to Ukrainian media reports proclaiming that the establishment of such positions indicated the counteroffensive had begun. She called for patience.

While neither confirming nor denying the ISW report, she said only that details of military operations in the Dnipro delta couldn't be disclosed for operational and security reasons.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently said that North Atlantic Treaty Orgzation (NATO) faces no obstacle in inviting Ukraine to join the military alliance, Al Jazeera reported. He said that it was time for NATO to invite Ukraine to join the military alliance.

Zelenskyy's remarks came during NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg's first visit to Kyiv since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine started in February last year. He called on the military alliance to take a decision as the majority of people in NATO nations and most of the people in Ukraine support Kyiv's NATO accession.

"I am grateful for the invitation to visit the summit, but it is also important for Ukraine to receive the corresponding invitation," Zelenskyy said as per the Al Jazeera report.

"There is not a single objective barrier to the political decision to invite Ukraine into the alliance and now, when most people in NATO countries and the majority of Ukrainians support NATO accession, is the time for the corresponding decisions," he added.