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Liberation of Kherson

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Liberation of Kherson
Russian withdrawal from Kherson
Part of 2022 Ukrainian southern counteroffensive, 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Russo-Ukrainian War
Left to right:
  • Column of Ukrainian tanks in Kherson Oblast
  • Citizens of Kherson welcoming Ukrainian forces
Date9[1] to 11 November 2022[2]
Location
Russian-occupied right-bank Kherson (including the city of Kherson) and Mykolaiv oblasts
Result Ukrainian victory

The Liberation of Kherson or the Russian withdrawal from Kherson happened from 9 to 11 November 2022,[2] when the city of Kherson and other areas on the western bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast and Mykolaiv Oblast occupied by the Russian military since March 2022 were abandoned, and liberated by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (ZSU).[3][4][5] The withdrawal and subsequent liberation were a result of the 2022 Ukrainian southern counteroffensive.

Background

Main article: 2022 Ukrainian southern counteroffensive
See also: Russian occupation of Kherson Oblast; Russian occupation of Mykolaiv Oblast; and Russian annexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts

Russian forces had occupied Kherson early into its invasion of Ukraine. In September 2022, Russia announced the annexation of the oblast, along with three others in a widely condemned move.[6]

On 9 November, Russian general Sergey Surovikin announced the withdrawal of troops from Kherson and the north bank of the Dnieper.[1][7][8] He claimed the reasoning for this decision was that Kherson and nearby settlements couldn't be properly supplied and that civilians were in danger from Ukrainian shelling.[9]

Withdrawal and liberation

Ukrainian Armed Forces advancing

On 10 November, a video emerged appearing to show the Ukrainian flag flying in Snihurivka.[10] Ukrainian forces also had regained control of the village of Kyselivka, fifteen kilometers northwest of Kherson.[11] On the same day, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi stated that Ukrainian forces had taken back 41 settlements near Kherson since 1 October.[12]

Ukrainian officials estimated half of the Russian soldiers had been withdrawn across the Dnipro by the evening of 10 November.[2] In the early morning of 11 November, Russian infantrymen were seen walking across a pontoon bridge to the eastern shore.[2] Ukrainian armour and columns closed in on Kherson proper as they moved past several towns, villages and suburbs, where they were greeted by cheering and flag-waving civilians.[2]

Russian withdrawal efforts

File:Ukrainian shelling Kherson.png
Ukraine shelling retreating Russian forces.

As Russian troops retreated across the river Dnipro, Ukrainian troops went further into Kherson Oblast and surrounding areas.[2] The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed on 11 November 5 a.m. Moscow time (2 a.m. UTC) that all soldiers (approximately 30,000) and all military equipment had been successfully moved across the river in an ordely withdrawal.[2][13] Several analysts and experts considered perfectly conducting such a large and complex manoeuvre in a matter of three days to be logistically impossible.[2] Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov told Reuters: 'It's not that easy to withdraw these troops from Kherson in one day or two days. As a minimum, [it will take] one week' to move them all (40,000 by his estimate).[4][2]

On Russian social media, many troops appeared to be in panic as they sought to escape, with pro-Kremlin bloggers echoing panic, suggesting a collapse in morale and logistics.[4][2] Many reports from journalists, Ukrainian civilians and authorities as well as individual Russian soldiers indicated that the withdrawal had been rather chaotic, with many Russian servicemen and materiel left behind on the right bank.[2] DW reported that major equipment pieces such as anti-aircraft defence systems appeared to have been successfully transferred to the other bank, but this would leave troops stuck on the western side vulnerable to Ukrainian artillery and drone attacks.[4] Groups of Russian soldiers (some of them wounded) were reportedly captured, or voluntarily surrendered themselves to advancing Ukrainian forces.[2] Ukrainian official Serhiy Khlan stated that some Russian soldiers failed to leave Kherson, and changed into civilian clothing.[2] One unidentified Russian soldier appeared to confirm that the last order his unit received was 'to change into civilian clothing and fuck off any way you want'.[2] Some Russian soldiers reportedly drowned while trying to swim across the Dnipro.[2] Ukrainian intelligence posted a Russian-language statement on social media, calling on remaining Russian soldiers to surrender.[2] Footage on social media suggested that Ukrainian troops had captured several Russian tanks, armoured vehicles and crates of ammunition, contradicting the Russian Defence Ministry's statement that '[n]ot a single piece of military equipment or weaponry was left behind on the right [west] bank'.[13]

Ukrainian Armed Forces entering Kherson

The Armed Forces of Ukraine entered the city on 11 November.[14] Later that day, Ukrainian forces liberated Kherson and the rest of the right bank of Kherson Oblast.[13] There were some fears that Russian forces might have laid a trap, therefore the ZSU advanced with some caution.[4] As in other liberated areas, the arriving Ukrainians found mines and booby traps, which posed a danger to both soldiers and civilians.[1] On 11 November, the Ukrainian military was working to clear them, but several people were wounded by such devices, and at least one was killed.[15] As the ZSU moved into the city, no ambushes of any sort appeared to have been prepared, with some observers describing the disorderly retreat as a "rout".[4]

When Ukrainian troops arrived, crowds of civilians gathered to welcome them, and celebrated the liberation.[16] Civilians were seen chanting "Glory to the ZSU [Ukraine’s armed forces]", hugging soldiers, singing songs and waving Ukrainian flags.[2] Cars took to the streets honking their horns, while residents tore down pro-Russian propaganda posters.[2] Similarly in Bilozerka, a town on the western edge of Kherson city, residents ripped down propaganda billboards with a young girl holding a Russian flag, which read: "Russia is here forever".[13] Following liberation, Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelenskyy called it a "historic day".[17]

Aftermath

By withdrawing, Russian forces ceded control of about 40% of Kherson Oblast to Ukraine.[13] The loss of Kherson has been widely regarded as a significant blow to Vladimir Putin, who on 30 September said that Kherson would be "part of Russia forever".[18] On 12 November, the occupying forces declared Henichesk to be the "temporary administrative capital of the Kherson region".[19]

Satellite images from Maxar Technologies showed that major damage to infrastucture had been done during the withdrawal from Kherson, including the destruction of at least seven bridges, four of them across the river Dnipro, within 24 hours.[13] Two spans of the Antonivka Road Bridge were destroyed; according a reporter from the pro-Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda at the scene, '[t]hey were likely blown up during the withdrawal of the Russian group of forces from the right bank to the left'.[13] Upstream, the Kakhovka Dam was damaged as well; as of 11 November afternoon, Ukrainian forces were still not in control of the dam, although they had retaken the village of Tyahynka 20 kilometres west of it.[13]

Much of Kherson city's electricity, Internet and water supply networks had broken down by the time Ukraine re-established control.[20] Initially, most of the city's inhabitants were in a state of euphoria, celebrating the occupier's pullout in public, and welcoming the Ukrainian forces as liberators, while others were worried about the time ahead.[20] A Kherson resident said: 'I want to celebrate, but something tells me it is not over yet. The Russians can't be giving up so easily, not after everything that has happened. I am scared for the winter and worry the city will become a battle ground. We will be in the firing line.'[21] Governor of Mykolaiv Oblast Vitalii Kim warned that there were still 'a lot of mines in the liberated territories and settlements. Don't go there for no reason. There are casualties.'[13] Yaroslav Yanushevich, Kherson Oblast military chair, stated that efforts were made to return the city to 'normal life', with police urging internally displaced people 'not to rush to return home until stabilisation measures are completed', such as demining operations.[20] Military analysts stated that there was a danger of Russian artillery shelling Kherson from the eastern Dnipro bank.[20]

Reactions

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Paul Kirby, Frank Gardner, Jeremy Bowen (9 November 2022). "Kherson: Russia to withdraw troops from key Ukrainian city". BBC News.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Peter Beaumont, Luke Harding, Pjotr Sauer, Isobel Koshiw (11 November 2022). "Ukraine troops enter centre of Kherson as Russians retreat in chaos". the Guardian. Retrieved 12 November 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ Watch: Ukrainians celebrate liberation as Russia pulls out of Kherson | CNN, retrieved 11 November 2022
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Ukraine updates: Kherson is 'ours,' says Zelenskyy – DW – 11/11/2022". dw.com. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  5. ^ a b Kramer, Andrew E.; Santora, Marc (11 November 2022). "Russia-Ukraine War: Zelensky Hails 'Historic Day' as Ukrainian Troops Enter Kherson". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  6. ^ Mirovalev, Mansur. "Russia's Kherson retreat marks tectonic shift in Ukraine war". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  7. ^ "Russia to withdraw troops from key Ukraine city of Kherson". The Independent. 9 November 2022.
  8. ^ "Russia 'orders troops' to withdraw from the Ukrainian city of Kherson". euronews. 9 November 2022.
  9. ^ "News Wrap: Russian military withdrawing from Kherson in southern Ukraine". PBS News Hour. 9 November 2022.
  10. ^ "Ucrania retomó la ciudad de Snihurivka y consolida su contraofensiva en Kherson". infobae. 10 November 2022.
  11. ^ Rainews, Redazione di (10 November 2022). "Live guerra in Ucraina. La cronaca minuto per minuto, giorno 260". RaiNews.
  12. ^ "Zelenskyy: Good news from southern Ukraine, 41 towns and villages liberated". Yahoo News. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i Mick Krever, Anna Chernova, Teele Rebane, Gianluca Mezzofiore, Tim Lister and Sophie Tanno (11 November 2022). "Ukrainian troops sweep into key city of Kherson after Russian forces retreat, dealing blow to Putin". CNN. Retrieved 11 November 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ "Ukrainian troops enter Kherson city after Russians retreat". Washington Post. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  15. ^ Michael E. Miller and Anastacia Galouchka (11 November 2022). "Mines and booby traps pose peril as Ukrainian forces push to Kherson city". Washington Post. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  16. ^ "Ukrainians celebrate liberation as Russia pulls out of Kherson". CNN. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  17. ^ "Zelensky hails 'historic day' as Ukraine forces enter Kherson after Russian retreat". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  18. ^ "Putin can't escape fallout from Russian retreat in Ukraine". BBC News. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  19. ^ "Occupation 'government' of Kherson region announces temporary relocation of regional capital to Henichesk". Novaya Gazeta Europe. 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  20. ^ a b c d Robertson, Nic; Woodyatt, Amy; Khadder, Kareem; Nagel, Clayton; Gak, Kosta. "No water, power or internet -- only euphoria in newly liberated Kherson | CNN". CNN. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  21. ^ Nadeem Badshah, Martin Belam, Christine Kearney (12 November 2022). "Russia-Ukraine war live: Moscow declares new 'temporary capital' for Kherson region after Ukraine retakes city". the Guardian. Retrieved 12 November 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ Reuters (11 November 2022). "Kremlin says Kherson's status as 'part of Russia' unchanged despite retreat". Reuters. Retrieved 12 November 2022. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  23. ^ "Ukraine war: Biden sees 'real problems' for Russia after Kherson retreat order". BBC News. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  24. ^ "Ukraine war: Russia coming under 'heavy pressure' in Ukraine, NATO chief says". Aljezeera. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  25. ^ "Russian pullout from Ukraine's Kherson region is 'positive' move: Erdogan". TRT World. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
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