Nowa Kakhovka also given up: Russians withdraw further in Cherson

The Russian troops in Kherson not only escape to the west bank of the Dnipro River, but retreat even further behind it.

Nowa Kakhovka also given up: Russians withdraw further in Cherson

The Russian troops in Kherson not only escape to the west bank of the Dnipro River, but retreat even further behind it. They are said to have moved 15 - 20 kilometers further inland and set up their positions there. Apparently it's about a better defensive position.

After withdrawing from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, there are signs that Russian forces are clearing more territory. Current video material showed that villages on the east bank of the Dnipro and further east had been cleared. In Oleshky, across from Kherson, pictures of abandoned Russian bunkers were shown. The Russian-installed authorities said they would also withdraw from Nova Kachowka further east on the banks of the river. The area is close to a strategically important dam.

Natalya Humenyuk, a spokeswoman for Ukraine's military, said it looked likely that Russian troops would position themselves about 15-20 kilometers east of the Dnieper River to better defend against attacks. However, the Russian armed forces are still able to reach the city of Kherson with rockets from their positions. "But we also have something to answer that for," said Humenyuk. Speaking at the G20 summit in Indonesia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would not relax its efforts to drive Russian troops out of the country. "I am convinced that the time has come when the destructive Russian war must and can be stopped."

Cherson is one of the four territories annexed by Russia in violation of international law. Despite this, the troops withdrew from the city of the same name last week. The entering Ukrainian soldiers were greeted with much cheering by the population. Russia had initially declared that it wanted to stabilize its troops on the east bank of the Dnipro. But in a video filmed in the Oleshky area, no Russian presence could be detected. Reuters was able to verify the location where the video was filmed using several known buildings. The area is just a two-hour drive from the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.

According to a Reuters correspondent, at least two explosions were heard in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv in the afternoon. Smoke can be seen over the city, the reporter from the local news agency reported. Only a few hours earlier, the Ukrainian President Zelenskyj had addressed the heads of state and government of the 20 leading industrialized and emerging countries. "Russia responds to Zelenskyy's powerful speech at the G20 with a new missile attack," Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy's chief of staff, wrote on Twitter. At the Bali summit, it became apparent that the overwhelming majority would condemn Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.