Navy Spokesperson details Kinburn Spit situation after flag video emerges

“A situation arose that resulted in the enemy suffering significant losses. Let's just say it was very painful,” Pletenchuk said.

“At that point, they were forced to abandon their positions, but it's too early to say we've liberated the spit.”

He expressed hope that Russian forces will not return to their abandoned positions, but noted that Moscow’s disregard for its own troops’ lives means this possibility remains open.

"Yes, essentially, after suffering significant losses, the enemy was forced to retreat to its main positions. We'll see how the situation develops," the spokesperson noted.

Dmytro Pletenchuk added that the Kinburn Spit remains strategically critical for Russian forces.

“It gives them control over the Dnipro-Buh river estuary, which is effectively an access to the Black Sea for Mykolaiv and Kherson seaports,” he clarified.

Russian forces can also utilize the area to launch strikes targeting the southern shoreline of Mykolaiv Oblast.

Ukrainian flag raised on the Kinburn Spit

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) published a report on June 9 stating that Russian forces may be abandoning positions in the northern and western parts of the Kinburn Spit after Ukrainian strikes severely disrupted their supply lines.

Regional Command of Ukraine’s Southern Territorial Defense Forces reported on June 25 that Ukrainian forces raised the national blue-and-yellow flag on the Kinburn Spit after forcing Russian troops to retreat from their positions.

The Ukrainian Navy, however, denied information that Russian forces retreated from the Kinburn Spit.

Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk stated that the area remains strategically critical for Russian forces.

"We are now witnessing the destruction of Russian logistics. This is a consistent process, one that has been going on for years, not even months, but at this point, the Kinburn Spit remains a combat zone,” Pletenchuk said.

DeepState analysts reported on June 25 that there is no evidence of an active Russian withdrawal from the Kinburn Spit. Ukrainian Defense Forces are working to render the presence and operations of Russian military personnel as untenable as possible.

The Kinburn Spit, situated in Mykolaiv Oblast just a few kilometers from Ochakiv, forms part of the larger Kinburn Peninsula and geographically separates the Black Sea from the Dnipro-Buh Estuary.

Russian forces occupied the spit in March, 2022. Special forces from Ukraine's Military Intelligence (HUR) raided the spit in August, 2024, killing dozens of Russian soldiers and destroying equipment.