Analysis: Russia's withdrawal from half of Kherson is both humiliating and unsurprising
CNNNov 10, 2022
Ukrainian officials have remained skeptical after Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu publicly ordered his troops to withdraw from the west bank of the Dnipro River on Wednesday. The order marks an evacuation of Russian troops from Kherson.
Among those expressing skepticism was Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said: "The enemy does not bring us gifts, does not make 'gestures of goodwill.' We fight our way up." He added: "Therefore, we move very carefully, without emotions, without unnecessary risk. In the interests of the liberation of our entire land and so that the losses are as small as possible. This is how we will secure the liberation of Kherson, Kakhovka, Donetsk, and our other cities."
There's no camouflaging Moscow's failure. After illegally annexing Kherson, distributing Russian passports, and suggesting the ruble would replace the Ukrainian hryvnia, Russia's withdrawal from the west bank of the Dnipro is both unsurprising and humiliating.
After strikes on supply lines to the west bank of the Dnipro River, Russian leaders have made the difficult, but strategically sound decision to withdraw troops in order to preserve the lives of servicemen and deploy them more effectively elsewhere.
There's a 50% chance that Ukraine will regain control of Kherson by Nov. 27, 2022, according to the Metaculus prediction community.