Ukraine Monitor presents the latest news concerning internal and external matters of Ukraine – a unique country where the interests of the East and the West clash almost every day.
Date: 25 October 2022 Author: Grzegorz Kuczyński
Russian, Ukrainian Troops Brace For Battle In Kherson
Russia seems unlikely to expose thousands of its troops on the western bank of the Dnieper River and thus will possibly exit the right bank of the Dnieper River in the southern Kherson region. In the past few weeks, Ukrainian forces have won a considerable advantage in the region, where the occupier is doomed to fail whatever its military will do next. Sergey Surovikin, who commands the southern group of Russian troops in the war against Ukraine, told Vladimir Putin that the defense of Kherson could deliver a severe blow to Russian forces.
Following a Ukrainian attack in the north of the Russian-occupied right bank of the Dnieper River around Kherson, Russian forces speeded up their pullback. By the evening of October 22, Russian troops abandoned some towns, including Charivne and Chkalov. Senior officers and medical staff left the city of Beryslav that mattered for a fight in the right-bank Kherson region. Russia also withdrew its administrative services from the city while Ukrainian citizens accused of collaborating are also leaving the area. Ukrainian forces are advancing southwards along the Dnieper River. Since early October, a ferry has been used as part of an ongoing Russian pullback of soldiers and equipment from the right bank of the Dnieper River nearby Nova Kakhovka, a town north of Kherson. Russian forces also completed a makeshift ferry crossing to compensate for the destroyed Antonivskiy Bridge in Kherson. In recent days, amid the Ukrainian advances, there have been mounting signs that Russian forces might launch urban fighting in Kherson. The occupier has evacuated most city residents. Those Russian troops who will stay will be tasked with inflicting great damage to Kherson and delaying a Ukrainian offensive. Russian forces will not quit entirely the right bank of the Dnieper River as this would expose the entire Dnieper area in the Kherson region to a Ukrainian offensive. There are neither natural defense lines nor urban areas around there––with the closest ones being Melitopol and cities in Crimea. Once its military equipment is pulled back, some Russian forces will stay on the other side of the river. Perhaps Russian troops will quit the western part of the Kherson region while seeking to maintain its foothold through its crossings and the town of Nova Kakhovka. If Russia builds up its foothold in the region and dispatches more troops––including fresh reservists––it could halt the Ukrainian advance towards the eastern bank of the river and this the offensive.
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