The Russians suffered heavy defeats in the battle for the region.
(Photo: dpa)
Moscow 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.
So far, around 115,000 people have left the region. 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.
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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. Reuters was able to verify the location of the footage 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.
The announcement by the Russian defense minister shows the difficult situation facing his army.
(Photo: dpa)
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.
Ukraine reacted cautiously to the announcement
Stremouzov, one of the most prominent figures of 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.
Ukraine has reacted cautiously 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.
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Ukraine has feared a Russian attack on a dam near Cherson for weeks. A possible explosion could flood more than 80 cities, and the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant also gets its cooling water from the same dam. President Volodymyr 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.”
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.”
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.
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