According to Ukraine, Russia wants to make Kherson a “city of death” after announcing the withdrawal. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s political adviser Mykhailo Podoliak accused Russia of mining areas and planning to shell the southern Ukrainian city from across the Dnipro River. Zelenskyj himself called for restraint after Moscow’s announcement. NATO was also cautious. However, Kiev reported gains in territory in the south of the country.
“RF (Russia) wants to make Kherson a ‘city of death’. The Russian army mines everything it can: apartments, sewers. Left bank artillery plans to turn the city to rubble,” Podoljak wrote on Twitter. “This is what the ‘Russian world’ looks like: came, robbed, celebrated, murdered ‘Witnesses’, left in ruins and left.”
Skepticism after withdrawal announcement
British intelligence also stated that Russian forces had destroyed bridges and presumably laid mines to make it more difficult for Ukraine to recapture the city of Kherson, which Moscow allegedly gave up. The announced withdrawal is expected to last several days and will be accompanied by artillery fire to protect the retreating units, the Ministry of Defense said in its daily short report on Twitter on Thursday. The Russian units are especially vulnerable when crossing the Dnipro, given the limited possibilities.
“Have to see how the situation develops”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was also cautious. “We now have to wait and see how the situation on the ground develops in the coming days,” the Norwegian said on Thursday on the sidelines of talks with new Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome. But it is clear that Russia is under heavy pressure. “If they leave Kherson, it would be another great success for Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said.
“We have to hold back our emotions”
Ukrainian President Selenskyj reacted with suspicion on Wednesday evening. After the announcement of the Russian withdrawal, there was “a lot of joy,” he said in his daily video speech. “But our emotions must be kept in check – especially during the war. The enemy does not give us gifts, does not make gestures of goodwill.” The Ukrainian army will continue “very carefully, without emotions, without undue risks”.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian units have apparently moved to the small town of Snihurivka in southern Ukraine. In a video posted on social media on Thursday, a Ukrainian spy unit appeared in the city to applause from residents. The transport hub in the Mykolaiv region, which had some 12,000 inhabitants before the war, was occupied by the Russian army in March.
Ukrainian troops advance
Ukrainian troops have advanced about seven kilometers in two sectors in the southern regions of Kherson and Mykolaiv. Within 24 hours, about 264 square kilometers and 12 cities were recaptured, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, Valeriy Saluschnyj, said Thursday. “We cannot yet confirm or deny the information about the alleged withdrawal of the Russian occupying forces from Kherson. We will continue to carry out the offensive operation according to our plan,” he wrote on Telegram.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced on Wednesday that he would withdraw from Kherson and other parts of the occupied territory there. The loss of the region will likely prevent Russia from pursuing its strategic goal of building a Russian land bridge to the port city of Odessa, the British argue. Ukrainian attacks on Russian supply routes would have made their position in Kherson untenable. A withdrawal would be one of the worst defeats to date by Russian forces in the war against Ukraine.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the other hand, described the announced withdrawal as a positive step. At a press conference ahead of his departure to visit Uzbekistan, Erdogan responded to a question about prospects for Russia-Ukraine talks.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
