Rumors of a possible Russian withdrawal swelled on Thursday after photos surfaced the internet showing the Russian flag no longer flying over the main administration building in Kherson.
Russian forces are likely to leave the west bank of the Dnieper, where the city is located Kherson in southern Ukraine, an official with the Russian occupation administration in the region said on Thursday.
“Our units, our soldiers will most likely go to the east coast.”, said Kirill Stremusov, deputy head of the pro-Russian Kherson government, in an interview with Solovyov Live, a pro-Kremlin online media outlet.
The city of Kherson, captured by Russia in the early days of its invasion of Ukraine last February, is located on the west bank of the Dnieper. The damage done by the Ukrainian army to the main river crossings put Russian troops in danger of being trapped in the face of advancing enemy forces along the river.
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Real withdrawal or provocation?
Kirill Stremousov called on the civilian population still in the city to leave Kherson immediately. Russia transported thousands of residents across the river by boats In recent weeks, Kyiv has accused Moscow of organizing forced evictions.
On the frontlines, Ukrainian soldiers interviewed by a Portal journalist last week said they didn’t see it no signs of withdrawal of Russian forces. On the contrary, they said they were seeing a strengthening of their defenses.
Rumors of a possible Russian withdrawal swelled on Thursday after photos surfaced the internet showing the Russian flag no longer flying over the main administration building in Kherson. However, Natalia Houmenyuk of the Ukrainian Army Press Center felt that “it could be a provocation to do this give the impression that these places are desertedthat entry is safe as they prepare for street battles”.