Russian soldiers patrol an administrative area at the Khersonvodokanal (water channel) in Kherson. Photo / AP
Russian soldiers patrol an administrative area at the Khersonvodokanal (water channel) in Kherson. Photo / AP
Russian troops were seen evacuating Kherson as rumours swirled that Moscow was abandoning the key southern city.
Eyewitnesses told The Telegraph that they witnessed Moscow’s forces dismantling military posts, leaving the city and crossing into the eastern bank of the Dnipro River towards Crimea.
“There are much fewer occupiers in the city. The roadblocks are being removed and flags were taken,” said a city local, who wished to remain anonymous.
On Thursday, a Russian-installed official in the region said that Moscow’s armed forces were expected to quit the city.
“Most likely our units, our soldiers, will leave for the left [eastern] bank,” said Kirill Stremousov, the deputy civilian administrator of the Kherson region.
Images have also been circulating showing flags being removed from the main administrative building in Kherson city, with the building left apparently empty.
A mum mourns her only son killed during a Russian bombing raid, at a cemetery in Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Photo / AP
However, Ukraine said that pictures could be Russian disinformation, part of a possible wider feint by the Kremlin to lay a trap for Kyiv’s forces in the battle for Kherson.
Natalya Humenyuk, a spokeswoman for Ukraine’s southern military command, said: “This could be a manifestation of a particular provocation, in order to create the impression that the settlements are abandoned, that it is safe to enter them, while they are preparing for street battles.
“We can see that Russian troops are still staying in Kherson, but they now wear civilian clothes. They’re moving to other towns, other than the regional capital, into the houses of the residents who had fled.
“It is necessary to understand that a hybrid war involves such information leaks; attacks that can be calculated to weaken the troops.”
That assessment was backed up by some locals. Di, one of the city’s residents, described watching convoys of Russian trucks carrying cargo pass by her home in the dead of night, but she added that there were “still soldiers in the city”.
“It seems to me that the removal of the flag is an indicative measure. So that everyone would mistakenly think that the military is leaving the city,” she said.
The head of Ukrainian intelligence warned last week that despite reports Russia was evacuating the city, they were in fact reinforcing it.
Major-General Kyrylo Budanov said: “They are not leaving right now. They are preparing to defend. They are creating the illusion that all is lost. Yet at the same time, they are moving new military units in.”
Analysts have said the truth is likely hidden by the “fog of war”.
Michael Kofman, the director of Russia studies at the CNA, a US-based defence research institute, said: “To me, the preponderance of evidence points to a Russian decision to steadily retreat from the [west] river bank and avoid being cut off there, while also trying to exact a high cost.”
Russian soldiers guard an area as a group of foreign journalists visit in Kherson. Photo / AP
However, he added he was sceptical that Moscow would abandon all of its positions voluntarily in Kherson.
Kherson was the first major Ukrainian city captured by Russia at the beginning of the war. It was one of Moscow’s most important conquests and Vladimir Putin claimed to have annexed it via a sham referendum at the end of September.
Ukrainian soldiers fighting on the front line told The Telegraph that Russia is “using everything possible” to push back their forces, including “forbidden weapons, phosphorus bombs, and cluster bombs”.
“All because they are now in a panic and are simply retreating,” said one, Mikhail.
However, he added that his forces were in good spirits: “My brothers from the army of Ukraine and I are in a great mood. We are ready to fight for our lands. Victory is getting closer and closer every day.”
Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, said that he believed Ukrainian forces “certainly” have the capability to retake Kherson and any remaining territory on the west bank of the Dnipro River.
A Russian retreat from the area would allow Ukraine to strike Crimea more easily. But, according to Kofman, it would also give Moscow’s forces “a large natural barrier, less terrain to defend, and a higher force density to terrain ratio”.
On the eastern bank of the Dnipro, Moscow could be seen reinforcing its position.
A 20-year-old resident said she had seen her neighbours removed from their home in order for Russian troops to set up command there.
“People are kicked out of their homes, and Russians are settling in them,” she said. “They were given a couple of hours to collect things and sent away. It’s scary what’s happening there.”
As Ukrainian soldiers advance into Kherson, locals have been urged to evacuate the area. However, routes across the Dnipro close to the city are currently closed to civilians while Russia focuses on moving its troops, according to locals.
“They have already blocked the passage to the shore. They blocked us in order to move their troops to the left bank of the Dnipro as soon as possible. We are stuck here,” one told The Telegraph.
