Quote:KYIV, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered his troops to withdraw from the west bank of the Dnipro River near the strategic southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, a significant setback for Moscow and potential turning point in the war.
Ukraine reacted with caution to Wednesday's announcement, saying some Russian forces were still in Kherson and additional Russian manpower was being sent to the region.
"Until the Ukrainian flag is flying over Kherson, it makes no sense to talk about a Russian withdrawal," Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said in a statement to Reuters.
[...]
If Ukrainian forces take the entire west bank of the Dnipro, their U.S.-supplied long-range artillery and HIMARS multiple rocket launchers would be able to strike Russian logistics bases and positions on the east bank, according to military experts.
But the Ukrainians may face numerous booby traps and could be targeted by intense Russian artillery barrages.
[...]
Compounding the sense of Russian disarray in Kherson, Moscow's number two official there, Kirill Stremousov, was killed on Wednesday in what Moscow said was a car crash.
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/us-...022-11-06/
A rear-guarded evacuation was probably the best option the Russians had available. Ukrainians report Russians still inside the city. Satellite images show Russian forces constructing new trenchworks east of the Dneipr. Their concern has to be safeguarding their big naval base at Sevastopol.
