Ukraine is able to take back Kherson from Russia – Pentagon chief

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday that Ukrainian forces could retake the strategic southern city of Kherson from Russian forces, in what would be a major defeat for Russia in an invasion of its neighbor.

Austin’s statements coincided with a Russian official in the Kherson region who said that Moscow is likely to withdraw its forces from the western bank of the Dnipro River, indicating a significant retreat, if confirmed.

Ukraine said it was still fighting in the region and feared that the occupying Russian forces would set a trap for it.

Austin did not respond to a question about whether the Russian forces were preparing to leave. But, perhaps in his most optimistic comments yet about the Ukrainian counterattack, he expressed confidence in their ability to defeat the Russian forces.

“On the question of whether the Ukrainians can take the remaining territories on the western side of the Dnipro River and in Kherson, I certainly think they have the ability to do so,” Austin said at a Pentagon news conference.

“Most importantly, the Ukrainians believe they have the capacity to do so. We have seen them engage in a very systematic but effective effort to reclaim their sovereign territory.”

The capital of the region and the river port of Kherson is the only large city that Russia has captured intact since the start of its invasion on February 24.

The area Ukrainians are seeking to retake on the west bank of the river also includes one side of a massive dam across the Dnipro River that controls the water supply to irrigate the peninsula occupied by Russia since 2014.

A Western official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, estimated that Russia plans to retreat from its bridge on the western side of the river to the eastern side, where it can better defend its forces.

“We believe this planning is almost certainly well advanced,” the official said.

The official said some Russian military commanders were redistributed on the other side of the river.

“We are going to set it up in Kherson, most of the commanding levels will probably now have withdrawn across the river to the east, leaving great morale and often in some cases without leadership to confront the Ukrainians on the other side,” the western official said.

Russia has struggled for months to hold onto the pocket of land it controls on the West Bank at the mouth of the Dnipro River that divides Ukraine. Moscow has sent tens of thousands of troops to reinforce the area, one of its biggest priorities on the battlefield.

Ukraine has targeted major river crossings for months, making it difficult for Russia to supply its huge power to the West Bank. Ukrainian forces have been advancing along the river since they stormed the Russian front line at the beginning of October, although their advance has slowed.

(Additional reporting by Phil Stewart, Idris Ali and Rami Ayoub.) Editing by Chris Reese and Grant McCall

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