Ukraine admits that heavy rains have slowed its progress in the region, from which more than 70,000 people have already been evacuated
More than 70,000 people have been evacuated from Kherson on the eve of what may be the “hardest” battle since the beginning of the invasion. This is how the Ukrainian authorities define it, ready for their troops to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Russian Army to recover a strategic enclave and inflict a severe defeat on the Kremlin, at least psychological. In that case, it would be the most important urban war since the one waged in the suburbs of kyiv during its siege last spring.
Far from withdrawing, as the Ukrainian General Staff interpreted when the pro-Russian regional government ordered the evacuation of Kherson a few days ago, the Kremlin has sent a reinforcement of 2,000 soldiers to the city and moved its officers to the left bank of the Dnieper. In this way, he uses the river as a parapet – by interposing it between the front line and the command center – and leaves the road to Crimea behind him, “in case he needs a quick retreat route,” according to Western Intelligence.
The pro-Russian authorities confirmed on Wednesday that more than 70,000 civilians have already crossed the river to get away from the scene where the confrontation has escalated in intensity in recent days. According to the Ukrainian Defense Minister, Oleksi Reznikov, one of the reasons for the withdrawal of the occupants lies in the supply problems they suffer after the Ukrainians attacked the supply routes and the bridge leading into the city. However, unlike what happened a few weeks ago in Limán, this time Moscow has decided not to back down.
peace negotiation
Everything seems to indicate that the battle will not be immediate. Reznikov acknowledged that heavy rains in recent days have slowed down the march of Ukrainian troops and armor. The contingent “is advancing step by step”, although “a little slower” than expected, and “will continue to do so” in the coming days. Despite the inclement weather, the two armies held several battles on the front line on Wednesday, in which a dozen civilians died.
Two of the clashes took place in the cities of Svatove and Kreinna, not far from the Kherson region but within Lugansk Oblast. The Russian General Staff explained that Ukrainian units made up of a few dozen soldiers repeatedly hit their positions, subsequently withdrawing, presumably with the intention of testing their defenses.
For his part, the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, guaranteed this Wednesday the support of the allies to the Government of kyiv in the event that there is a negotiation with Russia on the end of the war. The objective would be for the Zelensky Executive to arrive at the dialogue table strengthened to achieve an “acceptable” result. “Most wars end at the negotiating table. And at the same time, we know that what Ukraine can achieve at that table totally depends on its strength on the battlefield,” he noted.
#Kherson #prepares #hardest #battle