War In Ukraine: The Battle Of Kherson Is Preparing – HuffPost

OLGA MALTSEVA / AFP In this archive photo taken on May 20, 2022, Russian soldiers patrol the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, under Russian control since the start of the invasion of Ukraine and which could prove strategic in the battle for Kherson. OLGA MALTSEVA / AFP In this archive photo taken on May 20, 2022, Russian soldiers patrol the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, under Russian control since the start of the invasion of Ukraine and which could prove strategic in the battle for Kherson. WAR IN UKRAINE – Can you imagine a city more symbolic of Russia’s “special military operation” since February 24 in Ukraine? In Kherson, a city in the south of the country that has fallen into Russian hands since the beginning of March, the threat of a confrontation between Ukrainian and Russian troops is growing. The announcement of the Russian evacuation of 50,000 to 60,000 civilians from the city only amplified the imminence of an opposition to come between the two armies in the middle of Kherson, especially as the Ukrainians chained victories since August 29 and are fast approaching the capital of the eponymous region recently annexed by Moscow, along with the regions of Donetsk, Lugansk and Zaporijjia. Well-prepared but badly positioned Russian troops, Ukrainians maneuvering and emboldened by their successes, evacuated civilians… Will Kherson be the scene of a great battle? The HuffPost takes stock of the situation, before the imminent arrival of Ukrainian troops at the gates of the city. Russians between withdrawal and frontal resistance The deputy official in charge of the Russian occupation in Kherson, Kirill Stremoussov declared this Friday, October 21: “The city of Kherson, like a fortress, is preparing its defence”. It must be said that in Kherson and its region, the Russian soldiers are numerous and seasoned and therefore in a favorable situation to hold the position over time. They could logically entrench themselves in the city and inflict heavy losses if the Ukrainians decide to launch the assault. But the geography of the places will have its role to play. In fact, Moscow’s forces are on the western bank of the Dnieper on a strip almost 140 kilometers wide, with the river behind them and their fallback positions beyond the waves, the crossing of which would be under the Ukrainian precision artillery fire. They are also exposed to the risk of being surrounded, as you can see on the maps below. AFP The military situation around Kherson, October 20, 2022. AFP The military situation around Kherson, October 20, 2022. A map of the approximate situation on the ground in Ukraine as of 00:00 UTC 21/10/22. There have been no notable c… https://t.co/1MiJZdgQE0 — War Mapper (@War_Mapper) View tweet Kherson, to the point of having to backtrack after the civilian evacuation, as evidenced on the spot by the special envoy of Le Figaro. For retired captain Valentin Mateiu, a former member of Romanian military intelligence, the Russians suffer above all from a “strategic disadvantage” after letting the maneuvering talent of the Ukrainians express themselves. Moreover, before the counter-offensive at the end of August, “the Ukrainians systematically prepared the battlefield”, destroying the bridges, the logistic nodes, the command centers, “and the Russians did not have an adequate reaction adds Valentin Mateiu. “I think the Russians will try to make Kherson a center of resistance while avoiding being surrounded,” he anticipates. There remains the threat of a premeditated “catastrophe” in the event of a Russian rout: Volodymyr Zelensky indeed accuses Russia of having mined the dam and the units of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, less than 60 km from Kherson and that it control since February 24. If this dam explodes, “more than 80 localities, including Kherson, will find themselves in the rapid flooding zone” and this would also affect the cooling of the reactors of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which draws its water there. Google Maps screenshot The Russian-controlled Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant is located just 58 kilometers (as the crow flies) from the city of Kherson. Google Maps screenshot The Russian-controlled Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant is located just 58 kilometers (as the crow flies) from the city of Kherson. kyiv’s dilemma To date, Kherson is the only conquered oblast capital and remains the finest Russian capture since the start of the February 24 invasion. “It’s a strategic point, due to its position on the Dnieper. It also has symbolic importance,” explains Olga Chiriac, researcher at the Middle East Institute. This explains Ukraine’s desire to resume this position, under the nose and beard of Moscow. Unless Ukraine sticks to its desire not to reproduce Russian abuses on its own territory. They “are not going to fight for Kherson, they are not destroying cities like the Russians in Mariupol”, assures the Ukrainian Mykhailo Samus, director of the New Geopolitics Research Network. They will “keep the Russian troops fixed and, at some point, they will be able to form a pocket”, also prognosticates the retired American general Ben Hodges. Quite a dilemma for the commander of the Ukrainian troops, Valery Zaloujny, “under political pressure” from Zelensky, who wants more than anything “this strategic victory”. kyiv’s mistake would therefore be to go too far and “to engage in the suburbs of Kherson”, underlines the French researcher Pierre Grasser. He adds that “urban combat always causes a lot of deaths for the attacker and in terms of damage this could cause a new Mariupol. The city is much more valuable, for both sides, if it remains intact”. See also on The HuffPost: You cannot view this content because you have refused the cookies associated with content from third parties. If you want to view this content, you can change your choices.