Credit: The 40th Coastal Defense Brigade of the Ukrainian Marine Corps
In a desperate bid for freedom, a group of Russian soldiers cram into a tiny boat and push off from a marshy islet in the Dnipro delta.
Cloaked in makeshift camouflage made of reeds and mud, they lie low in the water, hoping the narrow channels will conceal their escape back towards Russian-occupied territory.
But high above, Ukrainian troops are watching their every move.
Soon, the buzz of a suicide drone cuts through the mist. It swoops on the boat. And then it explodes.
Credit: The 40th Coastal Defense Brigade of the Ukrainian Marine Corps
This fleeting, brutal encounter captures the reality of life – and death – on the Dnipro river, where hundreds of Russian troops are reportedly stranded and starving on a chain of islands south of Kherson.
“The area is a death zone for Russia,” Colonel Oleksandr Zavtonov of Ukraine’s 30th Marine Corps told The Telegraph. “There is nowhere to hide.”
The islands lie in the sprawling Dnipro delta, a labyrinth of reed-covered marshes and narrow waterways that form a natural buffer south of Kherson.
Since Ukrainian forces liberated the southern city in November 2022, the river has become a de facto front line.
Its right bank is held by Ukraine and its low-lying, flood-prone left bank is occupied by Russian troops.
Constant drone flights, artillery clashes and night raids have turned the area into one of the most perilous battlefields of the war, where advances are measured in metres and survival often depends on concealment and timing.
Ukrainian intelligence suggests that 5,100 Russians have died in the delta since January of this year, with reports of soldiers starving to death because of the lack of supplies.
“The prisoners that our fighters recently took on the islands talked about the inability to deliver food and drinking water to them, and they have to drink water from the river,” said Colonel Zavtonov.
Footage from the Dnipro delta has captured a haunting scene of tiny dinghies and makeshift boats making bids for freedom from heavily marshed areas, soldiers cloaking themselves in vegetation as they struggle to flee.
In many cases, they are eliminated by the ever-watching Ukrainian drones.
Credit: The 40th Coastal Defense Brigade of the Ukrainian Marine Corps
“Enemy advances are carried out by small groups that try to camouflage themselves – a tactic not seen at the beginning of the war,” explained Oksana Kuzan, head of the analytical department at the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre.
“Russian military units remaining on the islands in the Dnipro delta are facing serious problems with food, ammunition, and rotations.”
At a tactical level, the islands offer small teams the opportunity to gather intelligence or establish radio networks that increase unmanned aerial vehicle operational range.
Drone flights, artillery clashes and night raids have turned the area into one of the most perilous battlefields of the war – Mstyslav Chernov/AP
Compact, well-hidden units can use the islands for reconnaissance missions or forward observation posts.
Controlling the water gives soldiers influence over river crossings, small boat movements, and potential enemy resupply routes.
But the islands are low-lying and surrounded by open water, leaving troops visible and easy to target from the air or across the river.
“It is a large water area; there is nowhere to hide on the islands themselves, and the terrain is mostly swampy, and units passing through them will be too vulnerable,” said Colonel Zavtonov.
The islands are low-lying and surrounded by open water, leaving troops visible and easy to target
There are reports that Russian soldiers have been forced to buy motors and boats out of their own pockets to try and make progress.
John Hardie, deputy director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Russia programme, told The Telegraph that these conditions made resupply and troop rotations in the area an exceptionally difficult challenge for Russia.
“In general, at this stage in the war, moving to and from positions is among the most dangerous things you can do, so rotations tend to be infrequent,” he said.
Controlling the water gives soldiers influence over river crossings, small boat movements, and potential enemy resupply routes – Mstyslav Chernov/AP
Some units of the 98th Airborne Division, redeployed from the Kramatorsk direction, are known to be operating on the islands.
Russian marines from the 61st Separate Brigade were also reported to have landed on the islands in April, and have been deliberately kept on their positions for several months.
On Oct 15, Russians tried to land their troops to rotate forces stationed on the islands of Kruhluy, Malyi, Bilogrudyi, and Oleksiyivskyi, and organise logistical support and establish observation posts, according to intelligence.
But the attempt was disastrous.
“Ukrainian defenders hold the positions they have occupied; no losses or breakthroughs have been allowed,” said Colonel Zavtonov.
He noted that reconnaissance missions are carried about by Ukraine “around the clock”.
Ms Kuzan reported that in September, soldiers from the 2nd Battalion of the 40th Separate Coastal Defence Brigade of the Ukrainian Naval Forces successfully destroyed Russian groups attempting to land on the Kherson region’s shores using watercraft.
Ukrainian troops carry out regular reconnaissance missions across the Dnipro river and its banks – Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images
The Russians had pinned their hopes on stormy weather – rain, thick fog, and fierce winds that blind drones on both sides – to break through Ukrainian lines.
“The enemy is trying to operate in small groups of infantry, counting on the effect of surprise. This is facilitated by rain, fog and strong wind, which complicates the work of drones on both sides,” explained Colonel Zavtonov. “But we are always watching.”
With winter closing in, Ukrainian officials warn the front could become even deadlier.
Commander Dmytro Pletenchuk of the Ukrainian Navy told The Telegraph that Russians were constantly trying to take control of the islands, “regardless of the losses of their servicemen”.
“The islands, like any other territory of Ukraine, are important. If you let the Russians capture some territory, they will definitely move on,” he said. “But those Russians who gain a foothold on the islands do not survive for long.”
