Russia signals retreat in southern Ukraine but Kyiv fears trap
KYIV (MNP) – A Russian-installed official in southern Ukraine said Moscow will likely pull its troops from the west bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson and also urged civilians to leave, perhaps signalling a retreat that would be a blow to Russia s war.
There was silence from senior officials in Moscow. The Kyiv government and Western military analysts remained cautious, suggesting Russia could be setting a trap for advancing Ukrainian troops.
“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 area includes Kherson city, capital of the region of the same name, and the only major city Russia has captured intact since its invasion in February. It also includes one side of a dam across the Dnipro which controls the water supply to irrigate Crimea, the peninsula Russia has occupied since 2014.
Previously, Russia had denied its forces were planning to withdraw from the area.
In lengthy comments on Thursday night on a programme organised by RT television, Stremousov was somewhat more equivocal, saying “we have to take some very difficult decisions now. Whatever our strategy might be. And some people might be afraid to recognise things.
“But for me it is very important to try to say at the moment – People, please go over to the east bank. You will be in a far safer position,” Stremousov said.
At another point, Stremousov said he hoped “that we will not leave Kherson” and if that were to happen, “it will be a big blow not only in terms of the image of us all, but a big blow for people who could stay here”.
