- Ukraine advances in the southern region of Kherson, pushing back Russia.
- The British Ministry of Defense said Russian troops generally retreat rather than fight.
- Russia may be backing down to dig in crucial and defensible places, like the city of Kherson.
Russian troops are mostly withdrawing from a key region of Ukraine, rather than staying to fight, the British Ministry of Defense said on Thursday.
The ministry said in an intelligence update that Ukraine had begun efforts on Sunday to retake the southeastern region of Kherson and was making gains and moving the front line with Russia.
He added that Ukraine had not threatened Russia’s main defensive positions and that the Russians were mainly choosing to retreat rather than oppose the Ukrainians.
“Russian forces generally broke contact and withdrew,” It said.
Ukraine said Russian troops withdrew and it recaptured many towns in the Kherson region.
It is possible that Russia’s retreat is aimed at moving troops to more defensible positions and making Ukraine’s job harder.
The Washington Post reported that some Ukrainian troops believe Russia is withdrawing to strengthen its defense of the city of Kherson, the region’s capital.
This is because the city is strategically important and has the symbolic significance of being the first to be claimed by Russia during its invasion.
A pro-Russian official said the Russians were withdrawing “to gather their forces and deliver a retaliatory blow”.
Kherson is one of four Ukrainian regions that Russia says it is annexing, which makes the prospect of losing control of it all the more punitive.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Russia faces a “dilemma” – whether to prioritize keeping its soldiers alive or follow the “political imperative” of defence.
Ukraine launched its eastern counteroffensive last month and has since recaptured large swaths of territory.
The result is that Russia no longer has full control of any of the four eastern Ukrainian regions it said last week it would absorb.
