Russia-Ukraine War: Russia to withdraw troops from Kherson, Kyiv sceptical over withdrawal claims

Russia on Wednesday ordered its troops to withdraw from the Ukrainian city of Kherson a city with a pre-war population of 280,000 people and the only regional capital it captured after invading in February.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said he had ordered Russian troops to withdraw from the west bank of the Dnipro River in the face of Ukrainian attacks near the southern city.

The announcement marks one of Russia’s most significant retreats and a potential turning point in the war, now nearing the end of its ninth month.

The withdrawal means Russian forces will pull out entirely from the western bank of the River Dnipro.

It is a significant blow as Russia faces a Ukrainian counter-offensive.

The military’s top brass was seen making the decision on Russian state TV, with Gen Surovikin reporting on the situation on the ground in Kherson.

President Vladimir Putin did not take part in the staged event.

However, Ukrainian officials have cautioned that a Russian military announcement about withdrawing troops from the city of Kherson could be part of a misinformation campaign.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said they had seen no signs that Russia was completely leaving the city.

“Which means that these statements may be disinformation.”

“A part of the Russian group is preserved in the city, and additional reserves are charged to the region. Ukraine is liberating territories based on intelligence data, not staged TV statements,” he said.

In a nightly video address, Zelenskyy didn’t comment directly about Russia’s withdrawal announcement, saying only that: “Our emotions must be restrained — always during the war. I will definitely not feed the enemy all the details of our operations […] when we have our result, everyone will see it.”

In an online interview with NHK, Ukrainian military expert Oleg Zhdanov said the decision is “catastrophic” for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But Zhdanov said that he has yet to see a large-scale withdrawal of Russian forces from the front.

He added that they “are preparing for street fights,” saying Russian forces are getting ready to change into civilian clothing and launch attacks from evacuated residential areas.

A port city located on the Black Sea, Kherson is strategically important for Russia after invading Ukraine.

Additional report AP