Ukrainian servicemen fire a 2S7 Pion self-propelled gun at a position, as Russia鈥檚 attack on Ukraine continues, on a frontline in Kherson region, Ukraine November 9, 2022. (REUTERS)
KYIV 鈥� Moscow ordered troops to withdraw from near the strategic southern Ukrainian city of Kherson in a major setback as a top U.S. general estimated Russia has suffered more than 100,000 killed or wounded since invading its neighbor in February.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday announced Russian forces would retreat from the west bank of the Dnipro River near Kherson in what could be a turning point in the war.
Ukraine reacted with caution to the announcement, saying some Russian forces were still in Kherson and additional Russian manpower was being sent to the region.
鈥淭hey are moving out but not as much as would be taking place if it was a full pullout or regrouping,鈥� Oleksiy Arestovych, adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said in a video posted online on Wednesday night.
Russian forces were destroying bridges as they left and mining roads, Arestovych said.
鈥淎nd for the moment, we don鈥檛 know their intentions 鈥� will they engage in fighting with us and will they try to hold the city of Kherson? They are moving very slowly,鈥� he said.
Kherson city was the only regional capital Russia captured after the invasion, and it has been the focus of a Ukrainian counter-offensive. The city controls both the only land route to the Crimea peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014, and the mouth of the Dnipro, the river that bisects Ukraine. Russian-installed officials have been evacuating tens of thousands of civilians in recent weeks.
Casualties
America鈥檚 top general estimated on Wednesday that Russia鈥檚 military had suffered more than 100,000 of its soldiers killed or wounded in Ukraine, and added Kyiv鈥檚 armed forces 鈥減robably鈥� suffered a similar level of casualties. About 40,000 Ukrainian civilians were also probably killed, he said.
The estimates could not be independently confirmed by Reuters. General Mark Milley, speaking to the Economic Club in New York, did not say how he calculated those estimates.
Milley said the initial indicators suggested Russia was following through with its withdrawal from Kherson. But he cautioned that it could take time to complete.
In televised comments, General Sergei Surovikin, in overall command of the war, reported to Shoigu that it was no longer possible to supply Kherson city. He said he proposed to take up defensive lines on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River.
Shoigu told Surovikin: 鈥淚 agree with your conclusions and proposals. For us, the life and health of Russian servicemen is always a priority. We must also take into account the threats to the civilian population.
鈥淧roceed with the withdrawal of troops and take all measures to ensure the safe transfer of personnel, weapons and equipment across the Dnipro River.鈥�
鈥楽tep by step鈥�
Ukrainian forces were strengthening their positions 鈥渟tep by step鈥� in the south, Zelenskiy said in a Wednesday night address.
鈥淭here is a lot of joy in the information space today, and it is clear why, but 鈥� the enemy will make no gifts to us,鈥� said Zelenskiy, mentioning Kherson just once in his five-minute speech.
U.S. President Joe Biden said Moscow鈥檚 order to withdraw from Kherson was 鈥渆vidence of the fact that they have some real problems with the Russian military.鈥�
Biden said he hopes Democrats and Republicans can continue the bipartisan approach of confronting Russia鈥檚 aggression in Ukraine after Tuesday鈥檚 midterm elections, in which his Democratic Party performed better than expected.
Shelling in south
A regular evening statement by the Ukrainian military on Wednesday made no direct reference to Kherson region or its capital. Russian forces shelled more than 25 towns and villages on the southern front along the line of contact, it said, and there were more than 50 drone reconnaissance missions.
Ukrainian legislator David Arakhamia, who led Kyiv鈥檚 delegation to peace talks early in Russia鈥檚 invasion, said however, that a military operation in the Kherson region was under way.
He described the Russians鈥� situation as critical and said, 鈥淪ooner or later, they will either leave Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Sevastopol (in Crimea) or be destroyed.鈥�
If Ukrainian forces take the entire west bank of the Dnipro, their U.S.-supplied long-range artillery and HIMARS multiple rocket launchers would be able to strike Russian logistics bases and positions on the east bank, according to military experts.
But the Ukrainians may face numerous booby traps and could be targeted by intense Russian artillery barrages.
Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, on a visit to London, welcomed the news from Kherson but also struck a note of caution.
鈥淲e should not underestimate Russia 鈥� We have seen the drones, we have seen the missile attacks, it shows that Russia can still inflict a lot of damage,鈥� he told Sky 黑料社.
Compounding the sense of Russian disarray in Kherson, Moscow鈥檚 number two official there, Kirill Stremousov, was killed on Wednesday in what Moscow said was a car crash.
Russia鈥檚 leading war hawks on Wednesday swiftly voiced support for the decision to abandon Kherson city, putting a brave face on one of Moscow鈥檚 most humiliating retreats.
鈥淎fter weighing all the pros and cons, General Surovikin made the difficult but right choice between senseless sacrifices for the sake of loud statements and saving the priceless lives of soldiers,鈥� said Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen leader who has frequently urged a more aggressive approach to the war.
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