Ukraine's armed forces claim to have made significant headway via a series of attacks on the Russian-occupied east bank of the Dnipro river. The country's Marine Corps said in a statement published on social media on Friday that it had gained "a foothold on several bridgeheads" of Dnipro, near the key southern city of Kherson. The waterway is the de facto front line in the south of Ukraine. However, Russia conceded for the first time this week that Ukrainian forces had claimed back some territory on the opposing bank. "The Defence Forces of Ukraine conducted a series of successful operations on the left bank of the Dnipro River, along the Kherson front," the marines said, and "managed to gain a foothold on several bridgeheads."