Russia expresses willingness to retreat from Kherson, Ukraine suspicious

A Russian official in southern Ukraine alluded to a possible retreat from the west bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson — a move that Kyiv sniffs with suspicion.

Russia also appealed to the civilians in Kherson to leave the region, leaving Ukraine and western military analysts cautious about its intentions.

“Most likely our units, our soldiers, will leave for the left (eastern) bank,” Kirill Stremousov, the Russian-installed deputy civilian administrator of the Kherson region, said in an interview on Thursday with Solovyov Live, a pro-Kremlin online media outlet.

“The situation in Kherson is clear as mud,” tweeted Michael Kofman, director of Russia studies at the Center for Naval Analyses.

“Russian forces seemed to withdraw from some parts, evacuated, and drew down, but also reinforced with mobilised personnel. The fighting there is difficult. Despite constrained supply, Russian forces do not appear to be out of ammo,” he added.

Russia’s claim appeared firmer following the photos of the main administrative building in Kherson city where Russa’s flag did not unfurl on top. However, Ukraine believed it could be an attempt by Kremlin to disseminate disinformation.