MOSCOW, February 29. /TASS/. Russian forces have fully cleared the village of Krynki in the Kherson Region of Ukrainian troops but the enemy continues attempts to land on islands on the left bank of the Dnieper River, Regional Governor Vladimir Saldo said on Thursday.

"Krynki has been fully mopped up. The entire territory has been mopped up and our troops are controlling [the situation] on the [left] bank. Nonetheless, attempts continue [by the Ukrainian military] to land on some of the islands - and there are a lot of them in the Dnieper floodplain," the governor said, responding to a question from TASS.

On February 27, Russian forces thwarted an attempt by the Ukrainian military to land saboteurs on a Black Sea coast in the Kherson Region, he said.

"Twenty militants were destroyed and three boats together with armament were seized. Practically all the equipment was NATO-supplied. Attempts [by the Ukrainian military to land an assault force] continue but everything is under the control of our troops," the governor said.

Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin on February 20 that Russian troops had liberated the settlement of Krynki in the Kherson Region. He said that the enemy had lost 3,400 soldiers since the summer of last year near Krynki. In an interview with TASS Editor-in-Chief Mikhail Petrov, the defense minister said that the liberation of Krynki actually put an end to Ukraine’s counteroffensive.

The Ukrainian military had been attempting to gain a foothold in Krynki on the left bank of the Dnieper River after the Kakhovka dam was breached. Local residents had left the community by that time. The Ukrainian army had been sending increasingly new forces to gain a foothold on the bridgehead but had no success due to Russian artillery’s intensive fire.

President Putin said earlier that he was surprised by Kiev’s tactic of sending ever new fighters, moreover, well-trained personnel, for destruction. The Russian leader said on December 14 that the presence of Ukrainian troops in the Krynki area would soon end.