The Ukrainian military is increasing pressure on Russian troops in the southern Kherson region, and Moscow’s defeat here could be another serious setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Reuters explains.

The Kherson region is a real “gateway” to Crimea and provides Moscow with a land route to the Black Sea peninsula, which it illegally annexed in 2014.

The return of large areas of Kherson would leave Russia without this important land corridor and would also bring the HIMARS systems that Ukraine receives from the US closer to Crimea, a region that Moscow considers key to its interests.

The Ukrainian peninsula, the annexation of which Putin sees as a key victory in his more than two decades in power, is home to Russia’s vast military force and the Black Sea Fleet, which Moscow uses to project power into the Mediterranean and the Middle East.

The reconquest of Kherson region may leave Crimea without drinking water

If Ukrainian troops succeed in recapturing the south of the country, the entire supply of drinking water in Crimea will be at risk. Kyiv blocked the supply of drinking water to the peninsula after Russia occupied it in 2014.

Russia’s first step after conquering large areas of Kherson Oblast and Zaporizhia Oblast in the east was to unblock the Dnipro River Canal, which supplied drinking water to the peninsula until its annexation 8 years ago.

Russia needs water for the local population, irrigation on the arid peninsula and numerous military facilities here.

Kherson is important for the transport routes of the Russian army

Russian troops are located on the right west bank of the Dnieper in the north of the Kherson region.

This is the only area where Russia still has a military presence on the right bank of the huge river that bisects Ukraine.

For months, Ukrainian troops shelled bridges across the Dnipro River to cut off supplies to Russian troops. Recapturing the right bank of the river will also allow the Ukrainian military to attack the logistical support of the Russian troops in the Zaporizhzhia region and try to repel the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.

“The right bank of the river is important for both sides: for Russia to provide defense in the direction of Zaporizhzhia, and for Ukraine to free this direction and cut three important arteries – the land corridor to Crimea, drinking water to Crimea and the recapture of the power plant [nucleare Zaporojie]”, says Ukrainian military analyst Oleg Zhdanov.

Kherson has a symbolic meaning

The regional capital, the city that bears its name, is also the only regional capital that Russian forces have managed to capture since the “special forces operation” began on February 24.

Thus, its loss would be a symbolic blow to the Kremlin and would once again show that the Russian army has no chance of capturing the cities of Mykolaiv and Odesa, Moscow’s key strategic targets.

“It is clear that the loss of Kherson and the Kherson bridgehead will have consequences for Russia’s image and will be negatively perceived within Russia,” says military analyst Oleksandr Musienko.

Losing the region in southern Ukraine would jeopardize Russia’s control over the Black Sea

Kherson Oblast, which before the war had a population of about a million, is one of the important regions of the Ukrainian Black Sea region.

Its return would allow Kyiv to regain part of the coastline, which is a critical artery for its grain exports to foreign markets.

In addition, the head of the intelligence of the Ukrainian army, General Kyrylo Budanov, said on Monday that the Russians are trying to create a false impression of their intentions regarding the city of Kherson and have no intention of leaving there. .

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