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Ukraine aims to take back annexed Crimean peninsula.
But then one must first regain the neighboring region of Kherson.
Now the troops are approaching and the battle for Kherson is feared to become a new Mariupol.
– If we leave Kherson, it will be a heavy blow, says Russian-appointed leader Kirill Stremousov according to RT, reports Reuters.
The tense situation in the Kherson region is rising and Ukrainian troops are moving ever closer.
Vladimir Putin has warned civilians remaining in Kherson and urged them to evacuate the area.
“Civilians should not have to suffer,” says Putin, The Guardian reports.
Yesterday, the deputy Russian-appointed leader in Kherson, Kirill Stremousov, went out in a video and stated that there is a curfew in Kherson. Around the clock. Shortly afterwards, the video was deleted and replaced by a new one where he did not mention anything about a curfew. Instead, he also urged all civilians to evacuate, reports said Reuters and The Guardian.
Residents fear new Mariupol
As Ukrainian troops close in, parts of Russian troops in Kherson have begun disbanding and withdrawing, reports BBC. Commanders have left and the Russian flag has been taken down in the city.
Whether or not Russian forces will defend the city of Kherson remains unclear, according to the US think tank ISW.
Kirill Stremousov has said the troops are likely to withdraw but he hopes they will fight back.
– If we leave Kherson, it will be a heavy blow, he said in a statement broadcast by Russia’s RT television, reports Reuters.
According to testimonies from residents of Kherson, Russians have been seen changing clothes and pretending to be civilians. Local resident Alyona Lapchuk has fled Kherson and is speaking out Observe that she is worried about what will happen to her city if Ukraine fails in the fighting and the Russians retain power.
– Then the Russian army would probably destroy Kherson, in much the same way as they razed Mariupol to the ground and kill tens of thousands of civilians, she says.
Kherson’s strategic location
Kherson is on the west bank of the Dnieper and in recent weeks civilians have been evacuated across the river to the Russian-controlled east bank and Stremousov. The region neighbors the annexed Crimean peninsula and losing Kherson would be a major defeat for Russia strategically and also politically. In September, Russia annexed the regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhya, Donetsk and Luhansk after what it called “referendums”. According to the Kremlin, the territories would be Russian “forever”. Russia’s actions have been condemned internationally.
Kherson is the only major city occupied by Russia since the February invasion. Ukrainian troops have recently been slowly regaining ground.
– It is very difficult to make progress here. It is necessary to apply force to one point in order to then break through the front line. Our job is to hold our position. We attack from time to time so that they do not take their reserves and take them elsewhere, says a Ukrainian soldier between Mykolaiv and Kherson, to the BBC.