Russia is starting to build a floating bridge after its key supply route between Kherson and the east was destroyed by Ukrainian forces.
Over the weekend Russia “probably started moving barges into position to construct a substantial floating bridge” over the Dnipro river, British intelligence said on Tuesday.
It comes after two road bridges providing vital access to Russian-occupied Kherson were rendered unusable after being hit by Ukrainian missile strikes earlier in August.
A ferry crossing of the river has been used for several weeks by Russian forces and local civilians as an alternative.
“If Russia completes the improvised bridge, it will almost certainly increase the capacity of the crossing point compared to the ferry,” the Ministry of Defence said in an update.
“A floating bridge would likely still be vulnerable to Ukrainian offensive action.”
Meanwhile Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fears a threat from Russia coud be imminent on the eve of his nation’s independence day.
In his daily address he said: “We should be aware that this week Russia may try to do something particularly nasty, something particularly cruel.”
Continued shelling and fighting near Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, at Zaporizhzhia in southeastern Ukraine, has raised fears of a nuclear catastrophe.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday warned about the nuclear threat in general. Mr Guterres demanded a halt to “nuclear saber-rattling” on Monday, saying the world is at a “maximum moment of danger” and all countries with nuclear weapons must make a commitment to “no first-use”.
That didn’t prevent shelling close to Zaporizhzhia early Tuesday.
Regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko said Russian forces fired on nearby Marhanets and Nikopol on the right bank of the Dnipro River, continuing weeks of relentless overnight shelling.
Amid the devestation, there has been a small point of light. All professional football was stopped in February, but a new league season starts Tuesday in Kyiv.
The Olympic Stadium will see the the opening-day meeting of Shakhtar Donetsk and Metalist 1925 from Kharkiv — teams from eastern cities that are fighting for their very existence.
No fans will be allowed in the 65,000-capacity downtown stadium for the kickoff at 1pm local time, and the players must be rushed to bomb shelters if air-raid sirens sound.
