Ukraine’s military said on Thursday it had retaken some territory in Kherson after Moscow ordered a partial withdrawal from the area, although officials in Kyiv warned that retreating Russian soldiers could turn the regional capital into a “city of death” as they withdraw. for CNN.

Mykhailo Podolyak Photo: video shooting

The military spokesman said that in just 24 hours, Ukrainian troops advanced the front line in the key southern Kherson region by 7 kilometers and took control of more than 260 square kilometers of territory.

Kyiv said it had taken control of the towns of Snigurivka and Kiselyvka, both located along key roads leading to the regional capital Kherson. Kiselyvka is located approximately 15 kilometers from the city of Kherson.

Moscow said on Wednesday that its troops would be withdrawn from the western bank of the Dnipro River, effectively marking one of Russia’s biggest military setbacks since the start of its invasion. A spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense said that the effort had begun.

Officials in Kyiv were skeptical of this statement

Kherson Oblast is one of four Ukrainian regions that Russia has tried to annex in violation of international law, and some doubt that Moscow will give up its fight over territory with many ethnic Russians, whom Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised to keep as Russian citizens “forever.” .

Ukrainian officials are also concerned that the Russian army will use scorched earth tactics and leave a trail of devastation in its wake.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, said on Thursday that Russia wants to turn Kherson into a “city of death.”

The spokesman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Vladyslav Nazarov, said that Russian troops continue shelling the recaptured Ukrainian military territories and are trying to hit humanitarian aid delivery points.

Withdrawal symptoms began to appear

The head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, said that Washington saw the “beginning” of the Russian withdrawal in Kherson.

Satellite images of Russian-occupied Crimea taken last week showed trenches being dug near the border with Kherson, which may indicate that the Russian military leadership is concerned about the progress of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

On the same topic:

  • Pro-Russian separatists in Zaporizhzhia fear becoming the next targets of the Ukrainian offensive: “The enemy is transferring forces here”

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