kyiv Alerts Russian Threat Despite Kherson Withdrawal; Moscow declares “temporary capital” in Henichesk

First modification: 11/12/2022 – 16:42

Ukraine has not lowered its guard despite Russia’s withdrawal from the city of Kherson, as Moscow rushes to declare a new “temporary capital” in the province of the same name.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba assured this Saturday, November 12, that his soldiers are reinforcing military operations even after they retook Kherson, the only capital city that was under the control of the invading troops.

“We are winning battles on the ground, but the war continues,” Kuleba emphasized in the framework of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, which is taking place in Cambodia.

Kuleba warned that despite the fact that the Kremlin ordered the withdrawal of its military from the city and surrounding areas in the face of the counteroffensive and advance of the Ukrainian Army, kyiv observes that its counterpart does not give up its expansionist objectives.

“Everyone wants this war to end as soon as possible. We are definitely the ones who want that more than anyone (…) But as long as the war continues, and we see Russia mobilizing more recruits and bringing more weapons to Ukraine, of course we will continue to count on their continued support”, he stressed.

On November 9, the Russian Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, confirmed the departure of his Army, after referring to the need to save the lives of his soldiers.

And despite the significant victory that this withdrawal represents for the attacked country, the Ukrainian authorities issue harsh warnings about what they could find in the city that fell under the control of the Kremlin military in the first days of the war that is approaching nine months from its start.

“Every time we liberate a piece of our territory, when we enter a city liberated from the Russian Army, we find torture rooms and mass graves with civilians tortured and killed by the Russian Army in the course of the occupation of these territories,” Kuleba said. when recalling the findings in other liberated locations such as Bucha, on the outskirts of kyiv, or Izium, in the east of the nation.

For Russia, its withdrawal from Kherson marked the latest and most serious in a series of battlefield defeats, amid widely reported images of Russian infantry rushing to escape on a soon-to-be-destroyed boat across the Dnieper River. The Russian Defense Ministry said it had withdrawn around 30,000 troops.

The withdrawal comes just six weeks after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the “annexation” of Kherson and three other regions at a high-profile ceremony in Moscow following disputed referendums last September.

Russia declares Henichesk as its new “temporary capital” in Kherson province

Alexander Fomin, one of the members of the Russian-imposed administration in Kherson Oblast noted that Henichesk has been declared the temporary administrative capital of the province.

“All the main authorities are concentrated there,” Fomin said, quoted by the Russian state news agency Tass.

Henichesk, a port city on the Azov Sea, has been occupied by Russian troops since February 27, three days after Putin ordered the war.

The city is very close to the border with the Crimean region, annexed by Moscow in 2014. However, Henichesk is located at a significant distance from the city of Kherson and the strategic Dnieper River.

That river current, which divides the region and practically divides Ukraine into two halves, is used by Russian troops to transport their soldiers and military equipment.

The intelligence agencies of the United Kingdom, which monitor the conflict, indicated this November 12 that the Russian retreat from the only regional capital it occupied in Ukrainian territory is another “humiliation” for its Army, but said that Moscow continues to represent a threat .

“Russia’s announced withdrawal from Kherson marks another strategic failure for them (…) In February, Russia failed to take any of its main targets except Kherson. Now that he has delivered that as well, ordinary citizens in Russia must surely be asking themselves “what was all this for?” British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said on Saturday.

On Friday, November 11, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski assured that his country’s defenses have also retaken 41 settlements in the south of the country.

With Reuters, AP and EFE