Orders Withdrawal Of Troops Near Kherson, Russian Defense Minister: Prioritize Soldiers' Health And Lives

Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu, Chief of the Russian Military Staff General Valery Gerasimov, President Vladimir Putin, and General Sergei Surovidin. (Wikimedia Commons/Пресс-служба Президента Российской Федерации)

JAKARTA - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered his troops to withdraw from the west bank of the Dnipro River, near the strategic southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, in a significant setback for Moscow and a potential turning point in the war.

The city of Kherson is the only regional capital that Russia seized after its invasion in February, and has been the focus of Ukraine's retaliatory attacks.

The city controls the only land routes to the Crimean peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014, and the mouth of the Dnipro, the river that divides Ukraine. Russian officials have evacuated tens of thousands of civilians in recent weeks.

The Kherson region is one of four regions that President Vladimir Putin declared in September, joining Russia forever, and according to Moscow has been placed under its nuclear umbrella.

In televised comments, the commander of Russian troops on the battlefield General Sergei Surovikin reported to Minister Shoigu that it was no longer possible to supply the city of Kherson. He proposed taking a defensive line on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River.

"I agree with your conclusions and proposals. For us, the life and health of Russian servicemen is always a priority. We must also take into account the threat to the civilian population," Minister Shoigu told General Surovikin.

"Proceed with troop withdrawals and take all measures to ensure the safe transfer of personnel, weapons, and equipment across the Dnipro River," he ordered.

Meanwhile, Ukraine reacted cautiously to Wednesday's announcement, saying some Russian troops were still in Kherson and additional Russian troops were being sent to the region.

"They are moving out, but not as much as would be if it were a full withdrawal or a regrouping," Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said in a video posted online late Wednesday.

Russian troops destroyed the bridge as they left and mined the road, Arestovych said.

"And for now, we don't know their intentions - will they engage in battle with us and will they try to take control of the city of Kherson? They move very slowly."