Riga, Berlin Under pressure from Ukrainian counter-offensives, Russian troops are withdrawing from a strategically important part of the annexed southern Kherson region. This was announced by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday, indicating one of the heaviest defeats by the Russian armed forces in the war of aggression to date. The commander-in-chief of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine, General Sergei Surovikin, justified the step by saying that Cherson could no longer be supplied with supplies.
“We will ensure the lives of our soldiers and the combat effectiveness of our units,” Surovikin said in a televised speech. It is now intended that the armed forces should concentrate on holding the east bank of the Dnieper.
There is a risk that the area on the west bank will be flooded and that the Russian troops will be surrounded there. For weeks, however, Ukraine has feared a Russian attack on the Kachowka–Dam near Kherson. A possible explosion could flood more than 80 cities, and the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant also gets its cooling water from this dam.
President Volodimir Zelenskiy warned in October that Russia could deliberately trigger a catastrophe with a blast: “We have information that Russian terrorists have mined the dam and parts of the hydroelectric power plant. This is one of the largest energy facilities in the country.” According to military circles in Germany, Russia now wants to focus on maintaining control of the dam, which lies on the right bank of the river.
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According to Russian information, around 115,000 people have left the region so far. It is impossible to continue supplying the city of Cherson. Ukrainian troops have been able to advance steadily in the region in recent weeks. Surovikin had already announced “difficult decisions” in Cherson in October, which observers interpreted as an indication of a planned withdrawal.
Russian authorities had encouraged residents of Kherson to leave the city.
(Photo: dpa)
One of the main bridges, which leads from Cherson over a branch of the Dnipro River, was apparently blown up beforehand, as pictures published on the Internet showed on Wednesday. The Reuters news agency was able to verify the location of the recordings, but could not independently determine why the bridge collapsed. There was speculation on the Ukrainian side that Russian troops blew up the structure in preparation for their withdrawal from the city of Kherson.
Serhii Khlan, a deputy of the Kherson regional council, even reported that five bridges were destroyed. “The invaders are now blowing up absolutely all the bridges that are on the right bank of the river in the Kherson region.” That’s how they would prepare their retreat to slow down the advance of the Ukrainian army, Khlan estimates.
Vice-Chair of the region had indicated withdrawal
At the same time, Russian news agencies reported the death of Kirill Stremousov, who was appointed deputy head of the region by the Moscow government in Kherson. The cause of death was a car accident, the reports said. No further information was given about the circumstances.
Stremouzov, one of the most prominent figures in the occupiers in the region, has recently indicated several times that Russia could withdraw its troops from the area around the west bank of the Dnipro. The Cherson region is one of four regions in Ukraine that has now been annexed by the government in Moscow and declared Russian territory.
The announcement by the Russian defense minister shows the difficult situation facing his army.
(Photo: dpa)
In German security circles, the withdrawal was justified by the weakness of the Russian military. One expert said that the west bank could no longer be held, so Russia had to react. Unlike the offensive in eastern Ukraine, Moscow did not want its troops to be rolled over again.
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When recapturing the areas around Kharkiv, the Ukrainian forces had captured material such as tanks and ammunition, which the Russians had to leave behind. “Russia probably wants to avoid this this time,” said the expert.
Little is known about the extent of the fighting around Cherson, as Ukraine has imposed a strict blackout on news. Corresponding pictures and videos are circulating on social media, but they cannot be independently verified. Kyiv itself has claimed that Russia is losing hundreds of soldiers every day. According to information from security circles, this information should be correct.
Russian army struggles with bottlenecks
In addition to the fighting around Kherson, the Russians have sent their troops on the offensive in the Donetsk region. They are said to have suffered great losses of people and material.
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The deficiencies in the Russian troops are not surprising to Brigadier General Reiner Schwalb. From 2011 to 2018 he was military attaché at the embassy in Moscow and has visited army sites and exercises on several occasions.
At an event organized by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation last week, he classified the Russian army as weak. The involvement of reservists does not change that either, as they are not adequately trained and equipped.
The Russian troops lack equipment and trained soldiers.
(Photo: AP)
What is striking from the experts’ point of view is that Russia’s political leadership is holding back. It looks like President Vladimir Putin wants to wait and see the public reaction first. This should be negative, since the war itself is unpopular in the country. It is conceivable that there could be changes at the military leadership level to capture the displeasure, said an expert.
Ukraine reacted cautiously to the announcement
The Ukrainian leadership reacted with restraint to Russia’s announcement that it would withdraw its troops from the city of Kherson in the south of the country. It is too early to speak of a withdrawal, says presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak of the Reuters news agency.
A few Russian troops remained in the city, and additional forces were also ordered to the region. The announcements from Moscow and the actions on the ground are sometimes very different. As long as the Ukrainian flag does not fly over Cherson, there can be no talk of a Russian withdrawal. The Ukrainian armed forces adhered to the policy of focusing on reconnaissance, risk assessment and effective counterattacks.
Meanwhile, Russian shelling of eight Ukrainian regions in the south-east of the country apparently continued. The occupiers used drones, rockets, aircraft and heavy artillery, the presidential administration in Kyiv said. At least nine civilians were killed and 24 others injured within 24 hours.
The region is of great strategic importance.
(Photo: dpa)
According to military experts, the decision to control the area has the potential to significantly influence the course of the war. For example, as early as September, Toms Rostocks, military strategist at Latvia’s National Defense Academy, said: “If Ukraine manages to launch another major successful operation there, it could potentially move east towards Melitopol and Mariupol.”
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Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine on February 24. Since then, the Russian troops have repeatedly suffered major military defeats. The withdrawal from the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv in mid-September is considered one of the biggest debacles from the Kremlin’s point of view. The question now is to which position Moscow’s troops will withdraw.
With agency material.
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