It is the local media platform MOST in Kherson that reports that the Russian forces are in the process of destroying central parts of the city’s infrastructure, at the same time that they are withdrawing from the area. According to MOST, a switchboard that ensures the heating of houses will be destroyed, as will the TV center in the city, which usually has around 30,0000 inhabitants. The TV tower in Kherson should still be intact. So far, it has not been possible to get the messages confirmed from other quarters. The Russian forces are said to have destroyed several mobile transmitters in the city and the power is also out. Ukraine: The withdrawal has not started Ukrainian intelligence shows that Russia has not begun to withdraw from Kherson, claims the Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Oleksiy Reznikov, to Reuters. Reznikov says Russian forces are still in the city, around the city and on the west bank of the Dnipro River. Furthermore, he claims that it will take at least a week for Russian forces to withdraw from the city. Zelenskyj feared a trap When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj addressed the nation after Russia’s announcement of withdrawal from the west bank of the Dnipro river, he showed few signs of relief, writes Reuters. While the president suspects that the announcement is a trap for the Ukrainian defense, a Russian withdrawal could mean a stronger Russian attack later, according to Polish military analyst Konrad Muzyka. “If the Russians withdraw now, they will not only have more forces to prepare the defense of the eastern river bank, but they will also have barges that can move around and be deployed elsewhere,” Muzyka told Reuters. They came, they robbed, they killed An adviser to the Ukrainian president, Mykhailo Podoljak, claims the Russians want to make Kherson the “city of death”. – The Russian defense forces deploy explosive charges wherever they can. Even in apartments and the sewers, writes Podolyak on Twitter. He believes the Russians want to destroy the city. That they have placed artillery on the other side of the river to do this. – This is what the Russian world looks like: They came, they robbed, they killed, they destroyed and now they are leaving, writes Podolyak. “The Russian divisions are maneuvering to prepared positions on the left bank of the Dnipro in accordance with the approved plan.” The Ukrainian defense chief Valery Zaluzhny writes on Telegram on Thursday afternoon that the Ukrainian forces have advanced seven kilometers in the last 24 hours and recaptured 12 villages. Photos of Ukrainian forces in the strategically important town of Snigurivka on the border between Mykolaiv and Kherson counties have also been posted on Twitter. This probably confirms that the Russian forces are now in the process of withdrawing from areas they have controlled since the beginning of March in Kherson and Mykolaiv counties in the south of Ukraine. This is a field that will show Ukrainian soldiers advancing in the Kherson area in the south of the country. The Russian officers escaped from news were today in the northern part of Kherson county, which the Ukrainian forces now have control over. Everywhere there are destroyed houses, and in many places the crops are left unharvested, because of the hostilities. Residents say that the Russian officers were the first to escape from the advancing Ukrainian forces, leaving the soldiers, who were often mobilized from Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, to fend for themselves. – The ordinary soldiers remained, many of them came from the People’s Republic of Donetsk, the soldiers tell Nadia, who news talks to in one of the liberated villages in Kherson county. The pensioner says many of these soldiers were unwilling to fight and surrendered to the Ukrainian forces. Pensioner Nadja has lived under Russian occupation for many months. Photo: Andras D. Hajdu/news All abuse must be investigated In the same way as in the other areas of Ukraine, there are reports of abuse and torture committed by the Russian forces. – When the occupiers didn’t like a person’s appearance or they thought he looked suspicious, that person was taken to special torture chambers, says Karina Skupak to news. She is a press officer for the military administration in Kryvyi Rih, the county or oblast that borders Kherson in the north, and has followed news and a group of journalists on the trip into the war zone in Kherson – There were many of them both in schools, in ordinary residential buildings and in basements says Skupak. She says that everything that Russia has done must be investigated by the police and prosecutors. The fighting in the southern part of Ukraine has raged ever since Russia attacked in February 2022. Photo: Andras D. Hajdu/news A lot can go wrong On Wednesday, the Russian soldiers were ordered to evacuate, but the experts point out that this is a very difficult operation. – It seems that the Russians are trying to carry out a withdrawal in several phases. They do this to avoid departments being surrounded, writes the analyst Michael Kofman. He leads the Russia studies at the think tank CNA. Is Kherson falling now? The Russians still holding the city of Kherson may have to evacuate while under fire from the Ukrainians. It is a very difficult operation, say the experts_ Photo: OpenStreetMap/Ryan/Twitter Military expert Mick Ryan points out that this is one of the most complicated things a military force can carry out. – There is a lot that can go wrong for the Russians, and on their heels they will have an aggressive Ukrainian force, writes Ryan. Ryan is a former general in the Australian Defense Force and is now associated with the Center for Strategic & International Studies. FIRST BIG DECISION: General Sergej Surovikin has been commander of the Russian forces in Ukraine for only a few weeks. Now he has made plans for an operation that can go very wrong. Photo: Pavel Golovkin / AP Saving equipment and lives The supreme leader of the Russian forces in Ukraine, General Sergej Surovikin, yesterday received permission from the army leadership to withdraw the forces to the other side of the Dnipro river. – Begin the withdrawal. Take all precautions so that the troops, equipment and vehicles are transferred to the other side of the river in a safe manner, said Chief of Defense Sergej Sjojgu. What has set the stage for what is happening now is the Ukrainian attack on the bridges over the Dnipro. This meant that the Russians on the “wrong” side of the river had problems with supplies. RIGHT BEHIND THE RUSSIANS: The Ukrainian forces stand outside the city of Kherson. They must be ready to attack the retreating Russians. Photo: STRINGER / Reuters The Ukrainians are making slow progress In recent days, the Russians have blown up a number of bridges in the area. It has been interpreted as an attempt to slow down the Ukrainians when the withdrawal happens. Mick Ryan believes the Ukrainians want to destroy and capture as much as possible of the Russian forces in Kherson. – These Russian forces will then be unable to carry out operations elsewhere. Destroying them would also be a significant victory for the Ukrainians, writes Ryan. According to the Ukrainian defense, the Ukrainian soldiers were received with applause when they took control of the town of Snigurivka today. Photo: Ukrainian Defense Vulnerable The Russians have to use ferries to move their forces to the other side of the Dnipro. These ferries have been under fire a number of times. The river, and the surrounding area, is within range of Ukrainian precision weapons. During the withdrawal from the front, the march towards the ferry berths, during the crossing and later they can become targets. In Russia, it is now beginning to dawn on many that the campaign in Ukraine is about to develop into a disaster. Pro-Putin blogger Anastasia Kasjevavova writes on Telegram that she simply cannot say what she thinks about the withdrawal, due to the laws in Russia that prohibit spreading so-called falsehoods about the Russian army. Ryan believes the task the Russians must carry out is difficult. – The military leadership must have a good understanding of the terrain and the capacity of its own forces. The supreme leader must understand that one mistake could mean the destruction of the entire retreating force, writes Ryan. DESTRUCTIONS: In Kherson county, the war has already led to heavy losses. Photo: VALENTYN OGIRENKO / Reuters
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Reports that the Russian forces blow up infrastructure in Kherson – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
