Reports are that 200,000 Ukraine troops participated in the victory at Kherson.
Now that they are freed up it is interesting to think where Ukraine goes next:
1) Cross the river and continue through Kherson. The river crossing is hard, but as you mentioned the Ukrainian artillery range advantage will let them exert control over the left bank.
2) Into Kherson from the east. The big prize here would be the nuclear plant. Challenge is the wide open plains are hard to advance on.
3) Push south and liberate Mariupol. Would be a great propaganda victory
4) Push against Donetsk itself. The city is only a few miles from the front, it is well defended but would probably be the greatest hit to Russian morale.
5) Continue into northern Lunhansk. The Russians have still not managed to stabilize the front there after the Ukrainian victories in the Kharkiv offensive. The easiest front for Ukraine to advance on, but also the least to be gained.
Excellent food for thought!
Crimea is cut off from supplies already. And the psychological blow of losing Russia's first occupied region, would be immense.
I don't know what they will do. I'm just glad to see them keep advancing and pushing Russia out.
I'm hoping the existing House will go ahead and appropriate another $50 billion for Ukraine before Congress changes.
A clear message that we are going to keep funding Ukraine is important to convincing Russia to give up this war.
The Russians likely expect that at some point, but you don't always have the luxury of attacking where they don't expect.
Taking the rest of Kherson now could be either a blessing or a curse. On the one hand, it chops the Russian occupied area in two and isolates Crimea, but on the other hand it puts Ukrainian forces into a kind of salient where they are surrounded on 2 of 3 sides by the Russians, and vulnerable to counterattack from different directions.
I suppose the Ukrainians will be wondering whether the Russians have the wherewithal to even mount a counterattack at this point though.