Fighting in Kherson region: Ukraine reports many recaptures

Ukraine says it has recaptured 41 towns around the city of Cherson. Russian troops continued their retreat to positions on the left bank of the Dnipro River. They reportedly destroyed infrastructure in the process.

According to their own statements, the Ukrainian troops are advancing further in the south of the country. In the area around the city of Cherson, 41 towns have been “liberated” from the Russian occupiers since October 1, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his daily video address. The pace of the Ukrainian advance has increased to such an extent that the residents of Cherson “are now checking almost every hour where our units have gone and where else our national flag has been hoisted,” said Zelenskyy. “The number of Ukrainian flags being returned to their rightful place as part of ongoing defense operations already numbers in the dozens.” Since Wednesday alone, Ukrainian units have advanced up to seven kilometers deep into territory formerly occupied by the Russians, reported the supreme commander of the Ukrainian armed forces, Valeriy Saluschnyj.

Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered the withdrawal from Cherson and parts of the region of the same name on Wednesday. In Cherson, Russian units retreated “to prepared positions on the left bank of the Dnipro River,” according to the Russian Defense Ministry. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the Russian military was only slowly withdrawing to strengthen its defenses on the left bank of the Dnipro.

Reports of devastation caused by withdrawing troops

According to media reports, Russian troops devastated the city when they left Cherson. In addition to the television center, district heating systems and radio masts, among other things, were blown up, the online newspaper Ukrajinska Pravda reported. In addition, the electricity in the city had failed completely, as had the Internet. Several bridges over the Dnipro had already been blown up in the past few days.

Russian attack troops had occupied large parts of the Cherson region and the regional capital of the same name shortly after the start of the invasion of Ukraine at the end of February. For the government in Moscow, the region is of great strategic importance in order to be able to continue the offensive in the direction of Mykolaiv and the Black Sea port of Odessa. In addition, in the Kherson region lies the Kakhovka Dam, which supplies water to the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia. If Kherson were to be returned to Ukrainian control, Ukrainian troops could use long-range artillery to hit Crimea directly from there.

“The enemy gives us no gifts”

Selenskyj had reacted suspiciously to the Russian announcement of the withdrawal from Cherson. “The enemy doesn’t give us gifts, doesn’t make ‘gestures of goodwill,'” he warned. “It’s not the enemy who’s leaving – it’s the Ukrainians who are driving the occupiers away,” Zelensky said. At the same time he warned of the dangers in the areas now abandoned by the occupying forces. “The first and fundamental task is demining,” said Zelenskyy. The occupiers left behind thousands of duds and ammunition. According to his findings, around 170,000 square kilometers of the country are still infested with mines.

US President Joe Biden saw the announcement of the withdrawal from Moscow as evidence that the Russian military had “real problems” in the war in Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has already spoken of a possible “further victory” for Ukraine. “We have to wait and see how the situation on the ground develops in the coming days. However, it is clear that Russia is under a lot of pressure and a withdrawal from Kherson would be another victory for Ukraine,” he said.