Has Russia given up on Kinburn Spit, its westernmost foothold in Ukraine?

AI Summary

Russian forces appear to have pulled back from Kinburn Spit, a strategic landform in southern Ukraine initially captured at the start of the war as a key position to launch attacks on Ukrainian ports and mainland. The shift raises questions about Russia's current strategy in the region.

At the start of the war in Ukraine, the Russian capture of Kinburn Spit – a narrow piece of land that holds the key to several Ukrainian ports – was hailed as one of Moscow’s most significant victories on the southern front. From there, Russia could launch attacks on the Ukrainian mainland, and use it as a springboard should it make an attempt to take Odesa. Now, Russian forces appear to have pulled back from the once so-strategic spit. What is going on?