According to various testimonies published on social networks, the Russian forces have started with their withdrawal from the city of southern Ukraine. But the real intentions of Vladimir Putin in the region remain blurred.
by Cédric Pietrapurunga
Launched on August 29, the counter-offensive of Ukrainian troops in the Kherson region, in the south of the country, has so far proven laborious. Recorded on the right bank of the DNIEPR river, Russian forces have been deliver a bitter resistance there for two months, despite the kyiv artillery strikes and the regular takeover of localities by Ukrainian avant-garde. But the situation could accelerate and the Ukrainians seize the regional capital, conquered on March 2 by the Russian army before being annexed on September 30 by Moscow, which would mark a new setback for Vladimir Putin.
According to various testimonies published on social networks, the Russian forces have started with their withdrawal from Kherson’s pocket. The offices of the regional administration, occupied since the start of the war by the Russians, have been abandoned, as are several control points located in the northern suburbs of the city, the only capital of Oblast conquered since February 24. The soldiers of the former red army would also have destroyed most of the civil boats allowing to cross the river, as well as telecommunications infrastructure, giving the feeling of preparing their departure.
The city of Kherson, which had some 280,000 inhabitants before the conflict, has also gradually emptied its population. On October 22, the prorussian authorities in the region ordered civilians to evacuate “immediately” to the east, evoking a “stretched situation on the front” and “an increased danger of massive bombing”. Many images and testimonies attest to the looting of empty housing by Russian soldiers, who embark televisions, washing machine and even W.-C. in their trucks. “The Russian forces prepare the conditions for a controlled withdrawal in the northwest of the Kherson Oblast, likely to avoid a disorderly rout,” confirms the Institute for the Study of War in its November 4 report.
“The situation is clear like mud”
Some analysts are nevertheless questioning the real intentions of Vladimir Putin and the possibility of a so -called “disappointment” operation, a military term designating a maneuver intended to deceive the enemy. “The situation in Kherson is clear like mud, warns Michael Kofman, one of the best conflict specialists, researcher at the Arlington Naval Center, in an analysis published on November 3. The Russian forces seem to withdraw ( …) But also to strengthen with mobilized staff. The fights are difficult. “Understanding: taking the city could still take time.
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