“The situation is very bad in Kherson” with that sentence summed up General Sergei Surovkin That ten days ago he was assigned to direct Russian military operations in Ukraine, the case of that city in southern Ukraine.
While last night, Tuesday, he confirmed in an interview with the television channel “Russia 24” that his forces will ensure the safe evacuation of residents.
The importance of Cherson
Perhaps those sentences were enough to launch a wave of speculations and predictions on the situation of the Russian forces, especially in southern Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces have continued, since last September, to conduct a counter campaign to recover dozens of cities and towns in south and east, controlled by the Russians for months.
However, the importance of Kherson falls into two criteria, moral and strategic.
Location of Kherson on the map (figured by Aistock)
It is the first major Ukrainian city to fall into the hands of Russian forces since the conflict broke out on February 24, which was a strong moral boost for Moscow.
It is also from Within the four regions That the Kremlin announced at the end of September (2022) its annexation to Russia, and therefore the new control of Ukraine, would be a painful blow to Moscow and the prestige of its army.
special position
Furthermore, this region is of particular importance, as it includes the dam of the Kakhovka power plant and the Antonovsky bridge which connects the city with the southern bank of the Dnieper River and the rest of the Kherson region.
But in light of the intense Ukrainian attacks on these sites, Russian forces fear that the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam could lead to massive flooding.
From Kherson (Associated Press)
In addition, the geographical location of Kherson is of particular importance, as the region lies on the borders of the Dnepropetrovsk and Nikolaev regions and has a land border with Crimea to the south, while facing the Black Sea to the southwest and southeast. on the Sea of Azov.
Interestingly, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has reached its eighth month, amid the continuation of mutual attacks between the two sides, and relatively slow progress at the moment, for Ukrainian forces in their counter-offensive launched last month, after it has made significant progress in the past at the expense of Russian forces.
