Russia’s defense minister said Wednesday that Russian troops were retreating east of the Dnieper River in what appeared to be a full withdrawal from the city of Kherson, the one regional capital Russia had captured since its February invasion. The move is a major setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had declared the annexation of the Kherson region.
Ukraine live briefing: Russia announces retreat from city of Kherson
The announcement came at the end of another day of fresh Ukrainian advances that put Kyiv’s troops within striking distance of Kherson city.
Ukrainian officials expressed skepticism about a full withdrawal. “Actions speak louder than words,” presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter, adding that he expected some Russian forces to linger and that Ukraine would declare the city liberated based on its own intelligence, not televised Russian statements.
A U.S. military official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said Wednesday that “as far as we can tell,” it appears Russia’s withdrawal from Kherson is underway.
Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
2. Other key developments
5. From our correspondents
Months later, the water is corroding steel pipes and destroying residential boilers ahead of the winter, Michael E. Miller and Anastacia Galouchka report. “We understood this water was of a really bad quality, but we had no choice,” said Boris Dudenko, head of the city’s water company. “It was pipelines versus people.”
Mary Ilyushina, Jocelyn Kiley, Dan Lamothe, Michael E. Miller, Liz Sly, and David L. Stern contributed to this report.
Source: WP
