Mikhail Klimentiev | Afp | Getty Images As Russia’s military commanders announced another major withdrawal in Ukraine on Wednesday, pro-Kremlin commentators described the retreat as a humiliating and significant defeat for President Vladimir Putin. Putin kept a low profile as Russia announced it was withdrawing troops from the temporarily occupied city of Kherson and the west bank of the Dnipro River, which bisects the Kherson region in southern Ukraine. The army said it could no longer supply its troops there and was concerned about the safety of its military personnel. It comes after Putin in September welcomed the annexation of Kherson, following a sham referendum in the region, saying its residents “become our citizens forever”. Just six weeks later – during which Russia evacuated thousands of Kherson residents onto Russian soil, a move Ukraine decried as deportation – and Putin’s words ring hollow. News of the withdrawal appears to have surprised even the Kremlin’s staunchest supporters, with pro-war Russian bloggers describing it as a huge blow to the Kremlin’s so-called “special military operation” and questioning the country’s policy decision-making. elite.
Raging pro-war faction
As news of the withdrawal emerged, Putin supporter and former adviser Sergei Markov likened the withdrawal to a defeat on the scale of the collapse of the Soviet Union. Addressing his thousands of followers on Telegram, Markov said: “the surrender of Kherson is Russia’s biggest geopolitical defeat since the collapse of the USSR” and warned that “the political consequences of this huge defeat will be really big”. Meanwhile, pro-Kremlin journalist and politician Andrei Medvedev said on Telegram: “What to say now about Kherson? Yes, I am not happy either, like many of you. Yes, I also thought that there would be a different solution. This it will become a fortified area from the city.” “You can turn the city into a large fortification, while having difficulties with logistics. You can even defend it,” he said. Medvedev added that the decision to withdraw would not have been made without Putin’s approval. “I don’t really like the solution, but we are at war and the Supreme Commander’s decision in such a situation cannot be questioned.” Military mobility of the Ukrainian Armed Forces continues towards the Kherson front in Ukraine on November 9, 2022. The Ukrainian military continues to support its units in Kherson as the Russia-Ukraine war continues. Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images The withdrawal from Kherson was announced shortly after news from the region that the Russian deputy governor of Kherson, Kirill Stremusov, had been killed in a car accident. Medvedev said both events represented a serious propaganda blow for Russia and a boon for Ukraine. “The departure from Kherson, especially against the background of the tragic death of Kirill Stemnusov, is a serious informational blow for us. And now the West and Kyiv will begin to relax [it] as an unconditional victory for Ukraine,” he said, adding that people wanted an explanation for the withdrawal. Zoom Icon Arrows pointing out
Putin was absent
The Kremlin probably expected a backlash against the Kherson withdrawal. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who publicly approved the withdrawal yesterday, has repeatedly criticized Russia’s military strategy and tactics in Ukraine. Russia has already experienced humiliations on the battlefield, withdrawing from the north and the capital Kyiv early in the war, and then from Kharkiv in the northeast after a massive Ukrainian counter-offensive. He also withdrew from Snake Island, a strategic outpost in the Black Sea, in what he described as a “gesture of goodwill”. It’s perhaps no surprise, then, that Putin — the “supreme commander in chief of Russia’s armed forces” — was nowhere to be seen as a dark Shoigu, along with Russia’s commander on the ground in Ukraine, General Sergei Surovykin, announced the withdrawal from Chersona in a televised conversation. Surovikin said it was no longer possible to continue supplying the city and claimed, without presenting evidence, that Ukraine was planning to attack the nearby Kakhovka dam, which he said would cause massive flooding and civilian casualties. He proposed that the Russian troops withdraw back to the left bank of the river where they could “take up defensive positions”. Shoigu approved, ordering Surovikin to “start withdrawing troops and take all measures to ensure the safe relocation of personnel, armaments and material back from the Dnipro [river]. For us, the life and health of Russian servicemen is always a priority. We also have to take into account the threat to the civilian population,” according to comments carried by Russian state news agencies. Surovikin acknowledged the “very unpleasant decision” Shoigu had to make to order the withdrawal, but said it would allow Russian forces to redeploy for “attacks in other directions in the zone of operation.” Kyiv has repeatedly rejected claims it is planning to attack the Kakhovka dam, saying Russia was planning a false flag operation to attack the dam itself. Defense analysts, meanwhile, said Moscow was looking for an excuse to withdraw from much of the Kherson. Russian journalists expressed dismay at the news, with Alexander Kots saying on Twitter that: “You will agree that there is not much [good news] from any direction”. Another, Konstantin Semin, told his Telegram followers that they should “prepare” for the justifications behind the withdrawal, saying: “Now you will be told convincingly about the indisputable merits of the decisions taken.” Ukraine was cautious after news of the retreat, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warning that war required people to remain unconscious. His adviser Mikhailo Podolyak also summed up concerns that the withdrawal could be a sham, designed to lure Ukrainian forces into a trap. It remains to be seen whether the withdrawal is entirely real, though analysts at the Institute for the Study of War said on Wednesday it was unlikely to be a trap, noting that “ISW has previously observed many indicators that Russian forces, military and economic means, and occupation elements are steadily withdrawing from the west bank across the Dnipro River, and Russian officials are anticipating and preparing for withdrawal in a manner incompatible with a campaign of deception and entrapment of Ukrainian troops.” there are many indicators that Russian forces, military and economic assets and occupation elements are steadily withdrawing from the West Bank across the Dnipro River, and Russian officials have anticipated and are preparing for withdrawal in a manner inconsistent with a campaign of deception and entrapment of Ukrainian troops.” Now, both the Russian forces that need to withdraw and the Ukrainian forces that want to retake are facing difficulties. Russian forces were reportedly blowing up bridges in Kherson on Wednesday and possibly laying mines in an attempt to slow any Ukrainian advance. They will probably also have to withdraw while under fire from Ukraine.
