 Ukraine gained the opportunity to attack Crimea from new directions. Ukraine's forces in the south have gained a foothold on the eastern bank of the Nipro River in a significant step for Kiev's counter-offensive against Russia, according to Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's chief of staff. The independent media outlet says that a Ukrainian breakthrough across the Nipro could open up a new line to attack Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014. The Nipro River in the Kursan region has been one of the key battlegrounds of the conflict, with Russia crossing from the eastern bank to seize Kursan city in the early days of Putin's invasion, only to abandon the regional capital late last year. Though they lost ground in the area and retreated back across the river, Russia has maintained a consistent troop presence in the eastern bank, hemming in the Ukrainian counter-offensive. Against all odds, Ukraine's defense forces have gained a foothold on the left bank of the Nipro, said Yermak. Step by step, they are demilitarizing Crimea. We have covered 70% of the distance, and our counter-offensive is developing, he told. Yermak said, the only certainty was that Russia has no intention of stopping the war but hoped to outlast and out-endure the unity of democracies. We need weapons right now. Russia still has air superiority. It still is capable of producing missiles due to circumvention of sanctions. Not to mention the Iranian drones and North Korean artillery rounds, the officials said, reiterating Kiev's long-standing concerns.