(PatrioticPost.com)- Officials in Ukraine expressed shock as a senior Russian commander declared that Russian troops were leaving the western part of the Kherson oblast.
Russian forces in Ukraine are relocating back to the Dnieper River, according to Sergey Surovikin, who took over as commander in October.
According to Surovikin, who spoke to the Kremlin-backed news agency RIA Novosti, “it is expedient to arrange defense along the barrier line of the Dnieper River, along its left bank. Although the choice to continue defending the Dnieper’s left bank was not made lightly, we nonetheless intend to protect the lives of our men and the troop group’s combat readiness.”
He continued by saying that the transfer “will be completed soon.”
Sergei Shoigu, the Russian defense minister, is said to have approved it.
When asked about Surovikin’s statement by Kherson media outlet Most, Galina Lugovaya, the director of the city’s military administration, showed hesitation.
According to Lugovaya, who acknowledged Russian fuel problems in the area, “They won’t give up Kherson without a battle. Not everything is as easy as the opponents portray it to be, and this is a trap to deceive our military.”
Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, concurs with this sentiment.
Tweeted Podolyak, “Actions speak louder than words.” “We don’t see any indications that Russia is withdrawing from Kherson without a fight; a portion of the ru-group is still stationed there, and more reserves are being sent to the area; [Ukraine] is liberating areas based on intelligence evidence, not manufactured TV announcements.”
Since Kirill Stremousov, the Russian-installed Kherson region’s deputy city administrator, told a state media source that troops would reassemble on the other side of the Dnieper, Ukrainian officials have been baffled for almost a week.
“Russian troops are trying very hard to convince everyone they are fleeing, but at the same time, we are seeing factual evidence that they are remaining”.
Former Kremlin advisor and political pundit Sergei Markov warned that leaving Kherson would have “catastrophic consequences” and Russia could suffer “terrible consequences.”
