Morale Among Russians Declining – Zelenskyj: “We Are Ready For Peace”

The reactions of the population to the arrival of Ukrainian troops in Kherson speak for themselves, Zelensky said. “Their reactions are not staged,” he stressed. Since Friday, people in the city have been greeting the approaching Ukrainian soldiers, sometimes convulsively.

More than 400 war crimes discovered
According to Zelenskyj, investigators in the recaptured parts of the Kherson region have already uncovered more than 400 Russian war crimes. Bodies of soldiers and civilians were found. He also said in his video message on Sunday that Russian soldiers and mercenaries would be arrested. The rule of law has been restored in 226 cities with a total of more than 100,000 inhabitants. Reuters news agency spoke to residents who experienced the Russian occupation. According to their reports, civilians were killed and kidnapped. Russia denies such allegations.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry announced on Sunday evening that 179 towns and 4,500 square kilometers along the coast of Dnipro in the south of the country had been recaptured in recent days. The General Staff said there was heavy fighting in the east in Lukansk and Donetsk. Several Russian attacks have been repelled in both regions in the past 24 hours.

Russian troops had previously retreated to the eastern bank of the Dnipro River. It was Russia’s worst defeat since the offensive began on February 24. Kherson is one of four Ukrainian regions illegally annexed by the Moscow government and declared the territory of the Russian Federation. The Kherson setback has put a damper on troops loyal to Moscow. There are numerous reports suggesting low morale among Russian soldiers.

Winter lowers morale further
The already prevailing winter conditions with more rain and high winds and snowfall would pose an additional challenge to the already low morale of the Russian armed forces, the British Ministry of Defense said on Monday (see video above).

The cold weather also leads to cold injuries and also poses problems for equipment maintenance. “Basic exercises such as cleaning weapons must be adapted to the circumstances and the risk of weapons malfunction is increasing,” it said in London. At the same time, the ministry emphasized that Ukrainian soldiers were also affected by the circumstances.

UN aid convoy reaches Kherson
Meanwhile, on Monday, a first UN humanitarian convoy reached the population of the city of Kherson. The items on board included food, drinking water, toiletries, kitchen utensils, bedding, warm blankets and solar-powered lamps, the UN Emergency Relief Office OCHA in Geneva reported. In total, more than 6000 people were taken care of. A clinic receives medicines and materials to treat more than 1,000 patients. According to Ukrainian information, about 80,000 of the city’s 280,000 residents are still in the city.

It was the first UN convoy to reach the people of Kherson since Russia invaded and captured the city in early March. According to the United Nations, Kherson is short of water and electricity, markets lack food and hospitals and doctors’ offices do not have enough medicines. More convoys are scheduled for the next few days. In other nearby villages that have already been liberated, more than 12,000 people have received humanitarian aid in recent weeks.