The withdrawal of Russian forces from the Ukrainian region of Kherson has been consolidated on Friday after Ukrainian Army troops finally reached the center of the city despite Moscow’s insistence that the area «remains Russian» after the withdrawal.
With the Ukrainian flag flying again in one of the city’s main squares, Kiev has perceived the advance of its troops as a victory for the Ukrainian Army, which continues to fight Russian forces in a bid to reverse the advances of enemy soldiers in areas that have been annexed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The territory of Kherson is part of the areas that, together with Zaporiyia, Donetsk and Lugansk, have been annexed by Russia since the war began last February 24, when the country deployed its troops on Ukrainian territory with the alleged intention of «demilitarizing» and «denazifying» Ukraine.
However, the withdrawal of some 30,000 troops by Russia, which has also involved the transfer of equipment and troops from the western bank of the Dnieper River, is a hard blow for the Kremlin, which assures that «it is not a humiliation».
During the last hours, dozens of people have taken to the streets with Ukrainian flags to celebrate what they consider a new achievement of Kiev and to show their support to the Army.
The Ukrainian government, which has put the number of liberated areas at more than a dozen, has urged the Russian soldiers in the region to surrender and give up «if they wish to preserve their lives», although some localities, such as Berislav, also on the western shore, are being shelled.
The Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelenski, has advocated not to lower the guard and to act with caution, considering that «the enemy never makes concessions» and in view of the prospect that the withdrawal could be used by the army to recover territory for the future, a sort of trap that could finally make Ukraine lose the area.
«They are ready to defend this region and they are not ready to leave the city,» Zelenski said earlier this week during an interview with CNN. «They don’t want the war to end. Now, you have to understand that it is only the Kremlin and only one person who wants to go ahead with this. Putin may be tired of life, but he is definitely not tired of war,» he stressed.
The Chechen leader himself, Ramzan Kadirov, has supported the Kremlin’s decision and stressed that, «difficult but correct», this measure will save the lives of thousands of soldiers while the territory is rearranged in favor of Russia.
Nevertheless, experts maintain the hope that the withdrawal from the symbolic region, although difficult, will pave the way for a dialogue process that will put an end to the conflict, an issue that has shown signs of stagnation.
SYMBOLIC POINT Kherson — located near the mouth of the Dnieper River — was the only regional capital taken by Russia since the invasion began. Its withdrawal is therefore of vital importance to the Ukrainian authorities even though Russia may be preparing to adopt a more defensive posture in the vicinity.
While everything points to a strategic withdrawal, which has still led to the evacuation of dozens of civilians, Kiev warns of a background plan that has turned the Dnieper River, which flows from Russian territory to Ukraine via Belarus, into a new front line between the two countries.
The main idea of Moscow, which has detonated the main access bridge to the city before leaving the area, lies in reinforcing its presence on the eastern flank to further protect its status on the Crimean peninsula and prevent a further advance of the Ukrainian front.
Everything points in this sense to a tactical advantage for Russia, which has rethought its strategy and fears above all that Ukraine will turn the area into a springboard to Crimea, which was annexed in 2014.
The Ukrainian government, which fears that the locality will end up becoming a «city of death», has warned that prior to their departure Russian soldiers have laid anti-personnel mines that will serve as a trap for Ukrainian forces on their passage inland.
At this point, British military intelligence has also seen it as «likely» that Russian forces have left mines in the areas from which they are now withdrawing to delay the advance of Ukrainian troops.
That is why, although it seems that the end of the offensives in Kherson, a city that could mark the destiny of the war in Ukraine, everything points to the fact that the real battle has not yet begun.
