Russia says its troop withdrawal has begun and everyone agrees it will take weeks to complete. This decision appears to be Moscow’s worst retreat to date in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
By Athena Papakosta
Russia announced that it was withdrawing its troops from its strategically important city Peninsula and the facts in this war are changing once more. For its part, Kyiv remains cautious and warns that the first and only regional capital Moscow has seized may now have become in a “city of death” from the Russian mines.
There is no electricity or heating in Kherson. Internet connection is a thing of the past, with communication with those left in the city constantly interrupted. Life in it has stopped while before the Russian invasion of Ukraine it counted 280,000 inhabitants.
For Moscow, the port city of Kherson is Russian territory since at the end of September the infamous annexation referendums that no one – except Russia – recognizes were held in the region of the same name – as well as in Donetsk, Lugansk and Zaporizhia.
Today, there are reports that not a single Russian soldier is moving around in it, while until a few days ago they participated in the Russian operation to evacuate civilians. The same sources state that policemen and doctors from the Russian side remain in Kherson who will leave it when the withdrawal of Russian troops is nearing completion.
Russia says its troop withdrawal has begun and everyone agrees it will take weeks to complete. This decision appears to be Moscow’s worst retreat to date in the ongoing war in Ukraine. A Russian retreat from this point on the map and a possible recapture of Kherson by the Ukrainians would give the Ukrainian military a significant boost to win back lost territory in the Ukrainian south, including Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
Kiev listening to the Russian Sergey Surovikin to announce the withdrawal of Russian troops kept, initially, a small basket. In particular, the adviser to the Ukrainian president, Michael Podoliak deemed it a trap as he predicted the Russians would bomb Kherson from the occupied territories along the Dnieper River in an attempt to further escalate the now nine-month war. A few hours later, the head of the Ukrainian armed forces, Valery Zaluzny, he said that “the enemy had no other choice” but to retreat without being able to confirm or deny that Moscow has actually started the process in question.
However, an additional question arises at this point. If it has indeed started, will the Ukrainian army allow the Russians to continue in peace or launch an attack on them while they cross the eastern bank of the Dnieper River?
For the NATO chief it is clear that Russia is under pressure but, as he noted, what is important is to see “how the situation will develop on the ground”. For his part, the British Defense Secretary, Ben Wallace stressed that “the planet should not be grateful to Russia for returning stolen property” while the United States announced a new aid package to Ukraine that will include Avenger air defense systems and Hawk missiles.
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I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
