In recent weeks, Ukraine has recorded significant gains in territory in Cherson. To defend the area, the Russian administration is now recruiting men for a “paramilitary homeland guard.” Earlier there were rumors about the withdrawal of Russian troops. Kyiv considers this to be a diversionary maneuver.
In view of the Ukrainian advance, the Russian military administration in occupied Cherson wants to recruit the remaining men for a paramilitary homeland guard. “All men who stayed in Kherson of their own free will have the opportunity to join the ranks of the territorial defense,” the administration said on its Telegram channel. At the same time, the occupiers are urging civilians in the region to flee.
In recent weeks, the situation of Russian troops in the Kherson region has deteriorated significantly – especially on the north-west bank of the Dnipro. The supplies have almost come to a standstill due to the Ukrainian shelling of the bridges. During an offensive in early October, the Ukrainians were able to gain significant territory. Under these circumstances, the military administration says it has already sent around 25,000 civilians from the region.
The commander of the Russian troops in Ukraine, Sergei Surovikin, also announced “difficult decisions”, which some observers interpret as an indication of a planned withdrawal. At the same time, information is accumulating that Russian troops have removed valuables and important documents from the city of Kherson. Reports that officers have already been moved to the rear room cannot be independently confirmed. The Russian leadership, which only officially annexed the Cherson region in September, denies withdrawal plans.
The Ukrainian military intelligence service does not expect any withdrawal of Russian troops from the occupied city of Cherson in southern Ukraine either. On the contrary, the Russian army is preparing to defend the city, said the head of the secret service, Kyrylo Budanov, in Kyiv. “The Russian occupiers only create the illusion that they are leaving Cherson, but in fact they are bringing new military units there,” he told the online newspaper Ukrajinska Pravda. Budanov’s statements, like those of the Russian side on the situation in Kherson, could not be verified independently.
Budanov sees the Russian information about the withdrawal of the occupation administration and the Russian banks and the evacuation of hospitals as more of a diversionary maneuver. He said the newly arrived troops are making sure that they have an open route back across the Dnipro in the event of a Ukrainian advance.
In the war of aggression by Russia on Ukraine, which has been going on for exactly eight months, Cherson is the only Ukrainian regional capital that has fallen into Russian hands. Moscow has declared the city and the administrative region to be annexed to Russia.
