Putin’s new general expects massive attack on Kherson – and announces evacuation

The new commander in chief of Russian forces in Ukraine, General Sergey Surovikin, expects a massive Ukrainian attack to liberate the occupied city of Kherson. “The situation is difficult on this part of the front,” Surovikin said on Tuesday, according to Russian agencies.

Ukraine shells residential buildings and the city’s infrastructure. Artillery impacts made the crossing of Ukraine over the Dnipro River impassable. This complicates the supply of the city.

“We will act carefully and in a timely manner and not rule out difficult decisions,” the general said without giving details. The Russian army is currently preparing to evacuate civilians from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, Zurovikin told Russian state broadcaster Rossiya 24.

“The situation in the field of special military operations can be described as tense,” he said of the situation in Ukraine. “The enemy is not giving up its efforts to attack the positions of the Russian troops.” Ukraine is trying to “break through the defenses” by gathering “all its reserves” for the counteroffensive, Surovikin said.

Surovikin spoke of Ukrainian attacks on civilian infrastructure that “posed a direct threat to the lives of residents”. There is a “need to protect as many lives as possible of the civilian population and the Russian army”.

Russian CEO expects checkers attack

The head of the Russian occupation administration, Vladimir Saldo, said civilians in some regions on the northern right bank of the Dnipro would be evacuated. There is also the city of Kherson, the capital of the region of the same name. In a video, Saldo talks about the danger of a Ukrainian attack. Residents must be moved away from the river as Ukrainian shelling could damage a nearby dam.

He said on Telegram that residents should be evacuated to the left bank of the Dnipro so that the Russian army can build “large-scale defenses”. “Where the military operates, there is no place for civilians,” Saldo said. The Kherson region remains “under the protection of the Russian army,” he stressed.

The city of Kherson is also located on the right bank of the Dnipro. In March, it became the only Ukrainian regional capital to fall into Russian hands. President Vladimir Putin announced the annexation of the region to Russia in October. For several weeks, the Ukrainian army has been advancing again towards Kherson. The Russian soldiers on the right bank are largely cut off from their supplies.

citizens urged to flee

Last week, Russian occupiers in the Kherson region advised civilians to flee under mounting pressure from the Ukrainian counter-offensive. For their own safety, people are advised to travel to Russia, Moscow-appointed government leader Kirill Stremoussow wrote on Telegram.

Representatives of the Ukrainian Regional Council said last week’s appeal amounted to deportation. One should not speak of evacuation as Russia does, unless it concerns collaborators with Russia, said Serhiy Khlan, deputy head of the regional council. “This ‘evacuation’ announced by Saldo is an evacuation for collaborators and traitors in the region… They want to bring these collaborators to Russia,” Khlan said. “The occupiers understand that they cannot last long.” This mainly affects the right bank of the Dnieper and the city of Kherson.

After several setbacks for the Russian army in the war of aggression against Ukraine, Putin placed command power in one hand for the first time in early October. Ten days ago, he appointed Surovikin commander-in-chief for the special military operation, as Russia officially calls the war.
(dpa, Reuters, AFP, t-online, sje)