US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday that Ukrainian forces could retake Kherson from Russian forces, in what appeared to be the most optimistic comment on the Ukrainian counteroffensive, Reuters reported.
“Regarding the question of whether the Ukrainians can occupy the remaining territory west of the Dnipro and Kherson rivers, I certainly believe they have the opportunity to do so,” Austin said during a press conference with his South Korean counterpart.
Images are circulating on social media showing the Russian flag being removed from the building of the Kherson Regional Administration, which is located on the west bank of the city, where Ukrainian forces advanced significantly a few weeks ago.
Russian propagandist Oleksandr Kots published a video showing the flag being flown not on the administration building in Kherson, but on the building opposite, according to military analyst Rob Lee of the Foreign Policy Institute, which regularly tracks military units sent by Putin. in Ukraine.
Something in Kherson. uD83CuDDF7uD83CuDDFA The Russian flag has come down from the administration building, although Kremlin propagandists say flags still fly over other buildings. In a video published in a closed Telegram group, Kherson citizens can be seen cheering on a bus as it passes through an abandoned Russian checkpoint. pic.twitter.com/WgMvxJN7PE
— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) November 3, 2022
Also, Rob Lee says that the Russian Telegram channel confirmed the removal of the Russian flag from the administrative building in Kherson.
Another video on social media shows that the Russian checkpoint has been abandoned, and the people of Kherson applauded when they noticed it.
At the same time, the Intelligence Department of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported that in recent weeks, pro-Russian separatists and collaborators established by Russia in Kherson were moved closer to Crimea to a hotel on the Arabat Spit, between Lake Sivash and the Sea of Azov. .
The owners of recreation centers are forced to place them here, and the Russian army is looking for more free places, Ukrainian intelligence reports.
Russian troops also continue the forced resettlement of the civilian population from the right bank of the Dnieper; Ukrainian children from boarding schools in Kherson are being relocated to Crimea, namely to one of the psychiatric hospitals in Simferopol, writes the Ministry of Defense.
Source: Hot News RO
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