Ukraine skeptical of Russian military's claim it will withdraw from Kherson

Russia's military said Wednesday it will withdraw from the only Ukrainian regional capital it captured, but Kyiv was skeptical, and an analyst warned this could be a ruse to lure the country's forces into a deadly trap.

A forced pullout from the city of Kherson,a gateway to the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula, would mark one of Russia's worst setbacks in the eight monthwar.

Ukrainian authorities cautioned against considering theannounced plan to retreat from Kherson and nearby areasasa done deal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that the Russians were feigning a pullout from Kherson to lure the Ukrainian army into an entrenched battle in the strategic industrial port city.

If confirmed, the withdrawal from Kherson in a region of the same name that Moscow illegally annexed earlier this year would pile on another setback after Russia's early failed attempt to capture the capital, Kyiv. Kherson, with a pre-war population of 280,000, is the only regional capital Russian forces have captured since theinvasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24.

Kyiv's forces have zeroed in on the city and cut off supply lines in recent weeks as part of a larger counter-offensive in Ukraine's east and south that has pushed Russian troops out of wide swaths of territory.

Recapturing Kherson could allow Ukraine to win back lost territory in the Zaporizhzhia region and other southern areas, leading to an eventual push back into Crimea, which Russia illegally seized in 2014. A Russian retreat is almost certain to raise domestic pressure on the Kremlin to escalate the conflict.

Speaking in a stern tone and with a steely face on Russian TV, Moscow's top military commander in Ukraine reported to Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Wednesday that it was impossible to supply the city of Kherson and that its defence would be "futile."

Gen. Sergei Surovikin said that 115,000 people had been relocated because their "lives are constantly in danger," and proposed a retreat from Kherson to the opposite bank of the DniproRiver.

Shoigu agreed with Surovikin's assessment and ordered him to "start with the withdrawal of troops and take all measures to ensure the safe transfer of personnel, weapons and equipment across the Dnipro River."

But Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyaktold The Associated Press: "So far, we do not see any signs that Russia is completely leaving the city, which means that these statements may be disinformation."

Yaroslav Yanushevych, Kherson's Ukrainian-appointed governor, called on residents "not to give in to euphoria" just yet.

Another Ukrainian-appointed Kherson regional official, Serhii Khlan, told reporters that Russian forces had blown up five bridges to slow Kyiv's forces.

Military analyst Oleg Zhdanov told the AP thatRussia's announced retreat "could very well be an ambush and a Russian trap to force the Ukrainians to go on the offensive, force them to penetrate the Russian defences, and in response to strike with a powerful blow from the flanks."

After a day of his aides' observations about the announced retreat and a meeting with senior military staff in Kyiv, Zelenskyy didn't directly comment, saying in his nightly video address, "Our emotions must be restrained always during war. I will definitely not feed the enemy all the details of our operations When we have our result, everyone will see it."

Ukrainian resistance in Kherson

In addition to the successful counter-offensive, Ukrainian resistance fighters behind the front line have worked inside Kherson, with acts of sabotage and assassinations of Moscow-appointed officials.

With no indication of foul play but against that backdrop, reports surfaced Wednesday that the No. 2 official of the Moscow-installed Kherson regional government waskilled in a car crash.

WATCH | Kherson residents on life under Russian occupation:

Residents of Russian-controlled city of Kherson describe strict conditions

2 years ago

Duration 3:02

Tens of thousands of residents of Russian-controlled city of Kherson in southern Ukraine have fled since the beginning of Moscow's invasion. Those who remain say there are consequences for defying Russia.

The death of Kirill Stremousov a prominent regional official who posted updates about the war almost daily was confirmed by his boss, Vladimir Saldo.

The Russian Defence Ministry reported months ago that Saldo himself had beenpoisoned and hospitalized.

Speaking at a White House news conference, U.S. President Joe Biden said American officials had been expecting the Russian announcement, saying,"It's evidence of the fact that they have some real problems the Russian military."

Asked if a pullout might signal to Kyiv that it now had leverage to begin peace talks with Moscow, Biden said it would "at a minimum lead to time for everyone to recalibrate their positions over the winter period."

The Russian military appeared to have been preparing for an orderly pullout from Kherson or an ambush for months, contrasting with the haphazard retreat from the Kharkiv region when the invading force left behind a large amount of weapons and ammunition.

In October, Surovikin appeared to set the stage for a possible withdrawal from Kherson, acknowledging the situation was "quite difficult." Evacuations of civiliansfollowed, as did some symbolic moves,such as the relocation of the remains of Grigory Potemkin, the Russian general who founded Kherson in the 18th century.

HIMARSrocket launchers a game changer

In recent months, Ukraine used U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket launchers to repeatedly hit a key bridge on the Dniproin Kherson and a large dam upstream that is also used as a crossing point. The strikes forced Russia to rely on pontoons and ferries that also were targeted.

The attacks disruptedsupply links to Kherson and made Russian forces on the Dnipro'swest bank vulnerable to encirclement. The shortages were exacerbated after an Oct. 8 truck bomb blew up part of the strategic Kerch Bridge linking Russia's mainland to Crimea, which has served as a major supply hub for Russian forces.

WATCH | Explosion rocks Kerch Bridge:

Explosion damages bridge to Crimea that's vital to Russia's war efforts

2 years ago

Duration 5:33

A huge explosion has partially destroyed the Kerch Bridge, which links mainland Russia with Crimea and is a key supply artery for the Kremlin's faltering war effort in southern Ukraine.

Russia wanted to hold onto Kherson and other areas west of the Dniproso it could press an offensive to Mykolaiv and Odesa and sever Ukraine's access to the Black Sea. Thatwould damage Ukraine's economy and enable Moscow to build a land corridor to the separatist Transnistria region of Moldova, home to a major Russian military base.

The loss of Kherson could see painful consequences for Russian President Vladimir Putin: more criticism of Russia's military command from the country's hawks, a further decline in morale among the armed forces and stronger opposition to his troop mobilization.

Abroad, China and India could see it as a sign of the Kremlin's weakness when it needs their support to soften the blow ofcrippling Western sanctions.

Other Kremlin setbacks have included a chaotic and mistake-ridden troop mobilization, poor training and a shortage of weapons, clothing and other supplies for troops, an increase in international sanctions, and intensified Western advanced weapons supplies to Kyiv.

Russian bombardment across Ukraine

Fresh signs of Ukraine's advance toward Kherson emerged Wednesday.

Zhdanov, the analyst, said Ukrainians captured the city of Snihurivka, 50 kilometersnorth of Kherson, opening a direct road to a DniproRiver crossing and Kherson's suburbs. The Ukrainian Pravda news outlet cited Ukrainian army intelligence as claiming that two other settlements in the Kherson region, Pravdyne and Kalynivske, had been captured,

None of the reports could be independently confirmed.

Across Ukraine, at least nine civilians were killed and 24 others were wounded in 24 hours, the Ukrainian president's office said. It accused Russia of using explosive drones, rockets, heavy artillery and aircraft to attack eight regions in the country's southeast.

The president's office said widespread Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy system continued. Two cities not far from Europe's largest nuclear power plant were shelled overnight.