During the operation of Ukrainian marines in Krynyky on the left bank of Kherson region, almost all available electronic warfare (EW) assets were used to ferry then-commander of the Marine Corps Yurii Sodol to the left bank of the Dnipro.
This was said in an interview with “Ukrayinska Pravda” by the former acting head of intelligence of the 501st Separate Marine Battalion, Ruslan Orin.
According to the serviceman, at the beginning of the operation Sodol personally landed on islands near Krynyky. For this, Orin claims, they had to deploy “almost all the EW assets” that were at the disposal of the Marine Corps.
“Sodol landed on the islands. He informed higher command via the “handheld radio” that he was on Krynyky, the offensive continues. And he left,” – he said.
After that, according to Orin, the commander instructed the officers to also move to the left bank and set up command posts there.
He also stated that at the start of the operation Ukrainian forces had artillery support, but later the situation changed due to ammunition shortages and intensified Russian fire. One of the main problems Orin named was a shortage of boats and EW assets for crossings over the Dnipro.
According to him, the boats that transported fighters to Krynyky were often not equipped with electronic warfare systems, even though Russian FPV drones were already being actively used in that direction.
Orion also criticized certain command decisions during the operation. In particular, he said that his unit was repeatedly given “senseless assault tasks,” because of which Ukrainian soldiers were taken prisoner or killed.
Recall, Yurii Sodol became commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on February 11, 2024. However already in June of the same year another military officer was appointed to this position. Meanwhile the chief of staff of the “Azov” brigade of the National Guard, Bohdan Krotevych, filed a statement with the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) requesting an investigation into Sodol’s actions. The military accused him of loss of territory and thousands of soldiers’ lives.