Ukrainian forces have clawed back dozens of Russian-occupied settlements along the “Kherson axis” in southern Ukraine, army chief Valery Zaluzhny said Thursday, a day after Russia announced it would evacuate its troops from Kherson city, the regional capital.
Ukraine live briefing: Ukrainian troops advance on Kherson with caution; U.S. to send more air defenses
Zaluzhny said Ukraine, which is skeptical of Moscow’s plans to withdraw, could not confirm or deny the evacuation. But a video shared Thursday on social media from the village of Kyselivka, and verified by The Washington Post, showed Ukrainian forces within 10 miles of Kherson’s city limits.
The United States on Thursday also pledged an additional $400 million in security assistance for Ukraine, including Avengers air defense systems that come equipped with Stinger missiles. “When I was in Kyiv last week, I had the chance to consult directly with President Zelensky and his team on the ground about what Ukraine needs to be in the strongest position possible on the battlefield,” national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Thursday. “This increased air defense will be critical for Ukraine as Russia continues to use cruise missiles and Iranian-made drones to attack critical civilian infrastructure. “
Here’s the latest on the war and its ripple effects across the globe.
4. From our correspondents
Howitzers aid Ukraine’s push on southern front: Ukraine has used U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS launchers, to cut off Russian troops from their supply lines in the southern Kherson and Mykolaiv regions. It has also used U.S.-provided howitzers to hammer the Russian front line, enabling Ukrainian infantry to liberate a string of occupied towns as they pushed toward Kherson, report Michael E. Miller and Anastacia Galouchka from Ukraine.
Even when the front line hasn’t moved, the U.S.-provided howitzers have helped the Ukrainians by keeping the Russians from having their own, shorter-range artillery at the front. “I can’t say they have changed the course of the fight,” said Lt. Col. Maksym Bohachuk, 29, a history teacher who is now a battalion commander, “but they [the howitzers] are speeding up our victory.”
Michael E. Miller and Rebecca Tan contributed to this report.
Source: WP
