In the Ukraine war, the liberation of Cherson seems to be the next goal of the Ukrainian army. Russia, on the other hand, apparently wants to defend the city.
According to Moscow, it is expanding the southern Ukrainian city of Cherson into a “fortress”. The city, occupied by Russian troops, is preparing to defend itself against the advancing Ukrainian army, Kirill Stremusov, representative of the region’s pro-Russian administration, wrote in the Telegram online service on Friday. Stremusov had previously accused Ukrainian troops of killing four civilians. Ukraine denied this, accusing Russia of wanting to destroy a dam in the region, which could result in a “large-scale disaster”.
Stremusov accused Ukrainian troops on Friday of killing four people in a night-time shelling of a bridge in Kherson. The Russian investigative committee later also said that four people were killed in the attacks, including two journalists. 13 other people were injured.
Ukrainian military spokeswoman Natalia Gumenyuk denied the allegations, saying Ukrainian forces are not targeting the local population.
“Kherson region: 88 places liberated”
According to Ukraine, 88 towns and villages in the Kherson region have been recaptured since last week. “Kherson region: 88 places liberated,” said Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Tymoshenko in online services. Last week, Kyiv had already reported the recapture of 75 towns in the region.