(Dan Tri) – While Ukraine is wary of Russia’s sudden announcement to withdraw from Kherson because it believes `it could be a trap`, the US said it has noticed signs of Moscow’s troop withdrawal.
A vehicle was destroyed in Kherson (Photo: Reuters).
Russian soldiers have begun to leave the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine, marking a large-scale withdrawal since Moscow launched a special military campaign.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the units `moved to a ready position` on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River on November 10 and `strictly` followed the withdrawal plan.
However, Kiev has expressed much skepticism about Russia’s withdrawal, saying this could be a trap.
Meanwhile, US intelligence said it had noticed signs of Moscow’s troop withdrawal.
How did Russia’s withdrawal from Kherson really happen?
How many Russian troops are there in Kherson?
It is unclear exactly how many Russian soldiers are currently in Kherson, which is one of four regions that President Vladimir Putin announced to annex in September. It is also unclear how many soldiers were stationed there before the
On November 9, General Mark Milley, the top military official of the US, Ukraine’s most important Western ally, said Russia may have deployed 20,000-30,000 troops in the city.
Did Russia really withdraw its troops?
Although Ukraine still has many doubts, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Milley, said that initial signs show that Russian forces have in fact withdrawn.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a think tank monitoring the conflict, also said that recent moves by Moscow’s forces showed that Russia had withdrawn its troops.
`Russia’s withdrawal from the west bank of the Dnieper River is unlikely to be a trap to lure Ukrainian troops into fighting near the city of Kherson, as some Ukrainian and Western sources have speculated,` ISW said in a statement.
Regarding the speed of withdrawal, General Milley said it could take several weeks.
However, Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov refuted the above view, saying that mobilizing Russian troops from one side of the river to the other is difficult to happen quickly because the Ukrainian army has destroyed most of the
Responding to speculation, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on November 11 that it had completed the withdrawal of troops from Kherson.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are advancing into the wider southern Kherson region, reportedly reclaiming a series of settlements and advancing towards the Kherson city center.
Although Russia withdrew its troops, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that Moscow had no change in its decision to annex Kherson and three other provinces in Ukraine into its territory.
Where is Russia withdrawing its troops?
According to the announced strategic plan, Russia withdrew its troops and moved to the east bank of the Dnieper River to establish defenses due to difficulties in maintaining supply lines for the army in Kherson.
Satellite images and reports from the area show that Russian troops in recent weeks have reinforced several defensive trenches on the eastern bank of the Dnieper River in preparation for troop movements.
Will retreating troops be vulnerable to attack?
Conducting a withdrawal campaign is a very complicated task and often causes many risks for the withdrawing troops.
Britain, another major ally of Ukraine, said Russian units were at risk of `vulnerability` during the withdrawal process due to `limited crossings` along the Dnieper River.
`It is possible that the withdrawal of troops will take place within a few days but they risk facing large Ukrainian artillery barrages,` the British Ministry of Defense said.
`The question is whether Ukraine will allow Russia to withdraw its troops peacefully or continue to bombard heavily against the opponent,` AP news agency quoted Mr. Zhdanov as saying.
What will happen next?
There have been predictions that Ukrainian forces will attack Kherson in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials warned that Russia could launch repeated artillery attacks on the city from its fortified positions on the east bank of the Dnieper River, accusing Moscow of wanting to turn Kherson into a
Tanks of Ukrainian forces advance towards Kherson (Photo: Getty).
`Russian forces want to turn Kherson into a ‘dead city’. The Russian army places mines everywhere possible: houses, sewers. Artillery on the east bank of the Dnieper River plans to turn Kherson into ruins,` he said.
Analysts say that even if Ukraine succeeds in retaking the city of Kherson, its forces will not attempt to advance further east.
“It is unlikely that the Ukrainians will undertake a large-scale crossing of the Dnieper River to the east bank any time soon,” said Mick Ryan, a retired Australian general.
For Kiev, reclaiming Kherson will strengthen confidence that it can defeat Russia on the battlefield.
For Russia, the withdrawal from Kherson signals a significant shift in military strategy after Moscow’s forces were pushed back from the outskirts of Kiev in March.
But with a harsh winter approaching, which could freeze front-line roads, Russia may be weighing its timing before launching new attacks in spring 2023.