Ukraine on Monday accused Russia of looting empty houses in Kherson and filling them with plainclothes soldiers in preparation for urban fighting, which the two countries see as one of the most important battles since the start of the conflict fueled by the Russian invasion was triggered in February .
Russia has in recent days ordered civilians to evacuate Kherson ahead of a Ukrainian attack on the southern Ukrainian city, the only regional capital Russian forces have been able to capture in more than eight months of war. Kherson, which had almost 300,000 inhabitants before the war, was without water and electricity for 48 hours, report the two camps, which mutually deny responsibility for the situation.
Moscow-installed authorities have denounced Ukraine’s “sabotage” and say they are trying to restore power. Ukrainian officials say the Russians have dismantled 1.5 km of power lines and power is unlikely to be restored until Ukrainian forces retake the area. Kyiv classifies the civilian evacuation of the area as forced displacement of the population, which constitutes a war crime.
impending attack
Moscow, on the other hand, says it is evacuating residents for their own safety. Kherson is the only Ukrainian territory held by the Russians on the west bank of the Dnieper, a river that crosses Ukraine from Russia. The recapture of this city is the main objective of the southern flank of the Ukrainian counter-offensive, which was launched in early September and accelerated in October. It is not possible to get information about the situation in Kherson from independent sources.
Ukrainian forces on the front lines have told Portal in recent days that they expect an uphill battle from the Russians, who appear unable to hold the city but appear determined to pay the Ukrainians a heavy toll for their eventual to demand victory.
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“The best illustration of the ‘Russian world'”
“While residents of Kherson are being forcibly evicted from their homes and talking about evacuation, the (Russian) army and FSB agents are doing what they love best, which is robbing their homes,” Advisor to the Ukrainian Presidency Mikhailo Podoliak wrote on Monday on twitter. “The robbery of those who wanted to ‘protect’ them is the best illustration of the ‘Russian world’.”
Ukraine’s military said overnight that Russian soldiers “disguised in civilian clothes are occupying civilian properties and reinforcing their positions inside for street battles.” She also accused the Russian media of preparing filmed scenes to accuse Ukraine of targeting civilians. The Russian authorities have not responded to these allegations.
Russia has deployed thousands of reinforcement troops to the area in recent months and more recently has indicated it may withdraw from the area. One of the heads of the Russian-installed regional administration, Kirill Stremoussov, said last week that Russian troops are likely to withdraw to the other bank of the Dnieper, but the authorities in Moscow themselves have remained silent on the matter.
50,000 called Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who in September ordered a partial mobilization of reservists in the face of his army’s difficulties on the ground, said Monday that 50,000 of those nearly 320,000 conscripts were now deployed in combat units in Ukraine, with another 80,000 “in the area of the military special operations” and the rest in training camps in Russia.
Unlike the previous weeks since October 10, Monday was not marked by intensive Russian airstrikes on Ukraine, including Kyiv, and on civilian infrastructure aimed at destroying Ukraine’s energy grid.
Nevertheless, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned his compatriots during the night to prepare for new bombing raids.
For its part, Ukraine’s power grid operator on Monday urged the population to prepare for further blackouts in the capital and elsewhere to avoid overloading high-voltage lines from damage caused by the Russian strikes.
American maneuvers behind the scenes
On the diplomatic front, both the White House and the Kremlin declined to comment on a Wall Street Journal report detailing talks between Jake Sullivan, US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, and advisers to Vladimir Putin reported to limit the risk of the war escalating or spilling over into a conflict with a nuclear dimension.
The Washington Post reported that US diplomats privately urged Ukrainian officials to show a willingness to negotiate with Russia in order to continue enjoying international support.