Russia’s military has stated that it is withdrawing from the western bank of the Dnieper River in the September-annexed southern Ukrainian region of Kherson.
General Sergei Surovikin, the top Russian military commander in Ukraine, reported to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday that it was impossible to deliver supplies to the city of Kherson and other areas on the western bank. Shoigu agreed with Surovikin’s proposal to withdraw and establish defenses on the eastern bank.
The departure from the city of Kherson is a severe blow for Russia, as it was the sole regional capital captured by Russian forces throughout the eight-month battle.
Late in October, the Russian-installed authorities in Kherson urged all residents to leave “immediately” in anticipation of an expected advance by Ukrainian forces engaged in a counteroffensive to retake the occupied area.
On November 5, 2022, Aleksander, age 63, is seen in the courtyard of his damaged home in the southern district of Kherson, Ukraine. Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency/Getty
As long as the Ukrainian flag is not flying above Kherson, it makes “no sense” to talk a Russian retreat, according to Mykhailo Podolyak, the adviser to the president of Ukraine. He made this statement on Wednesday.
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