Russia reported that he would withdraw his troops from the west bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region, Ukraine south, and appealed to civilians there to evacuate. But Kiev authorities fear it is simply a trap for Ukrainian troops advancing into the area.
As reported ReutersOn Friday (11/04/2022), the signal of the withdrawal of the Moscow troops was revealed by an official appointed by Russia to the Cherson. Senior Kremlin officials in Moscow have been silent on the matter.
If Moscow troops withdraw from their positions in Kherson, it would be a severe blow to the Russian war in Ukraine.
On the other hand, the Kiev government and Western military analysts remain wary and cautious, indicating that Russia could set a trap to advance Ukrainian troops to Kherson.
“Most likely our units, our soldiers, will go to the eastern bank (of the Dnipro River),” Russia-appointed deputy civil administrator for the Kherson region, Kirill Stremousov, said Thursday in an interview with pro-media. Solovyov Kremlin Live (3/11) local time.
The area in question includes the city of Kherson, the capital of the region of the same name, and the only large Ukrainian city that Russian forces have managed to control since the beginning of its invasion at the end of February.
The area also includes one side of a dam on the Dnipro River that controls the water supply to irrigate Crimea, a peninsula in Ukraine that Russia annexed in 2014.
In lengthy comments on the Russian TV show RT, Stresmousov vaguely said “we have to make very difficult decisions now”.
“Whatever our strategy is. And some people may be afraid to admit something. But it’s really important for me to try and say right away: folks, please go to the eastern shore. You will be in a much safer position,” he said. .
