Not pretending to be some great military tactician. But the Dnieper is not the English Channel or the Formosa Straits. IMHO The Russians could use small craft at night to evacuate the bulk of their troops. It just appears that this unique tactical opportunity does not occur often in war. If the Ukrainians won a great victory at the Kherson Beachhead by capturing or eliminating that force, it very well might mean the end of the war. The land itself is not the prize, its the Russian troops. Try to imagine the political consequences of photos of thousands of disarmed Russian POWs.
The goal is capturing the entire Orc supply route at Kup’yars’k. They would be left with pretty much whatever they had on hand - other than what 155mm shells and rockets don’t find first. That will end the war, except maybe in Crimea.
“IMHO The Russians could use small craft at night to evacuate the bulk of their troops.”
Its about a kilometer wide with a decent current down around Kherson City, much wider North of the dam at Nova Khakova. Strong swimmers could swim it, weak swimmers could with flotation. It would be a challenge when it gets cold.
Ferries are being targeted, and HIMARS can hit them on the first shot. Surveillance over the River is basically constant with satellite and drone, but fog or clouds might provide occasional concealment.
“The land itself is not the prize, its the Russian troops.”
The Russians have committed many of their most famous units onto that (wrong) side of the River - the 7th Airborne Division (like the American 82d), at least two Spetnaz (Special Forces) Brigades and Guards (highest unit honor) units, including units of the 1st Guards Army (the elite of the Armor units, Russia’s pride and joy).
They also pulled the regular Russian units North of Izyum to send to Kherson, and the gap they left is where the Ukrainians are powering through now.