Guest article by Zarina Zabrisky, Meidas Defense’s Kherson-based correspondent
Last week, I had the privilege of interviewing Lieutenant Colonel Dmytro Pulinets, commander of Ukraine’s 34th Separate Marine Brigade. The youngest brigade commander in Ukraine and a native of the Kherson region, Pulinets is in charge of one of the most strategically complex and symbolically significant fronts of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
I am a US journalist and war correspondent, based in Kherson since September 2023. I report from the city on a daily basis and document the war, including in my film Kherson: Human Safari, the first part of a documentary trilogy. I am currently completing the second film. This interview is the first and only English-language interview with Lieutenant Colonel Pulinets.
The Kherson region is significant geographically, economically, and politically. Control of the region determines access to the Dnipro River and the Black Sea coastline, routes essential for trade, military logistics, and power projection. For Moscow, Kherson was intended as a launchpad for a broader southern campaign toward Mykolaiv and Odesa, and potentially further toward Transnistria. It is also part of the so-called “land corridor to Crimea,” linking occupied territories to the Crimean peninsula. For Ukraine, control of Kherson is key to any future effort to regain Crimea.
Economically, control over Kherson affects the water supply to Crimea through the North Crimean Canal, as well as access to fertile agricultural land and key export routes.
Politically and symbolically, it is equally significant. The Kremlin declared Kherson region part of the Russian Federation following a sham referendum, presenting it as a strategic achievement. Losing the Kherson region would be a major blow to the Kremlin.
Geography defines the battlefield. The Dnipro River serves as a natural frontline. Ukrainian forces hold the right bank, including Kherson city, while Russian forces occupy most of the left bank, around 70 percent of the region. Between them lies a contested zone of islands, waterways, and open terrain. This is not a conventional front line but a fragmented battlespace shaped by water, distance, and constant aerial surveillance.
Kherson city, liberated in November 2022, remains under continuous threat. Its proximity to Russian positions across the river allows for sustained artillery fire, guided aerial bomb strikes, and widespread use of FPV drones. After relying on missiles and aviation, Russian forces shifted toward heavy artillery and, increasingly, drone warfare. FPV drones are now used extensively, including in attacks on civilian areas, in what has become known as “human safari,” a tactic of deliberately targeting individuals in open space.
In July 2024, when I first reported on “human safari,” Kherson was hit by up to 10 FPV drones a week. By April 2026, Russian forces were using up to 2,700 drones per week.
The impact on civilians has been severe. Infrastructure has been repeatedly destroyed, including during the explosion of the Nova Kakhovka dam, which caused large-scale flooding and long-term environmental damage. Many residents have lost homes, access to services, and basic means of survival. Hospitals, aid centers, and civilian transport remain under threat.
On the left bank, under Russian occupation, conditions are more acute. Coastal settlements serve as launch points for attacks on the right bank, while residents are under a drone siege, without reliable access to food, water, electricity, heating, or medicine. Movement is restricted, and the area remains largely inaccessible to independent monitoring. I reported on the drone siege of the occupied left bank of the Dnipro River for MeidasTouch in March 2026.
Within this environment, the 34th Marine Brigade plays a critical role. Their operations focus on holding defensive positions and preventing Russian forces from advancing closer to the river and expanding their strike range. The islands in the Dnipro delta are key. Control over them affects observation, drone deployment, and the ability to project force onto the right bank.
The Kherson direction reflects the transformation of modern warfare, defined by drones and constant adaptation. Under commanders like Pulinets, the defense of Kherson is becoming a major chapter of this war.
