By November 12, 2022, the Russian military will almost certainly have completed the withdrawal of forces holding territory west of the Dnieper River. This was reported by British intelligence in its daily report.
With the abandonment of the city of Kherson, Russia has transformed the port city of Genichesk on the Azov Sea into the “temporary capital” of the occupied region. Russia is also likely to redeploy military commando units in the Genichesk region.
Choosing this area as a command center alludes to the priorities and concerns of Russian commanders as they consolidate their defenses in southern Ukraine.
It is well placed to coordinate actions against potential Ukrainian threats both from the city of Kherson to the west and through Melitopol to the northeast, and to receive reinforcements from Crimea.
Most importantly, it is currently out of range of Ukrainian artillery systemswhich inflicted heavy damage on Russian field command posts.
