Ukraine war: Russia orders troops to withdraw from the Ukrainian city of Kherson
Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday ordered Russian troops to withdraw from the west bank of the Dnipro River in the face of Ukrainian attacks near the southern city of Kherson.
The announcement marked one of Russia's most significant retreats and a potential turning point in the war, now nearing the end of its ninth month.
Shoigu said on television that he would "proceed with the withdrawal of the soldiers" after a proposal by the commander of Russian operations in Ukraine, General Sergei Surovikin.
Surovikin, in overall command of the war, acknowledged that it was "not at all an easy decision" to make but explained that it was no longer possible to supply Kherson city. He said he proposed to take up defensive lines on the eastern bank of the river.
The news followed weeks of Ukrainian advances towards the city and a race by Russia to relocate more than 100,000 of its residents.
"We will save the lives of our soldiers and fighting capacity of our units. Keeping them on the right (western) bank is futile. Some of them can be used on other fronts," Surovikin said.
Kherson is the only regional capital Russian forces had seized during the eight-month war.
The announcement had been anticipated by Russia's influential war bloggers, who described it as a bitter blow.
"Apparently we will leave the city, no matter how painful it is to write about it now," said the War Gonzo blog, which has more than 1.3 million subscribers on Telegram.
"In simple terms, Kherson can't be held with bare hands," it said. "Yes, this is a black page in the history of the Russian army. Of the Russian state. A tragic page."
On Tuesday night, a Ukrainian military statement accused Russian troops of continuing to loot and destroy infrastructure in
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