The Russian army loses a strategic city. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu approved the withdrawal of Russian troops from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson on Wednesday (November 9th). The regional capital had been occupied by Russian forces since February 2022.
The Ukrainian army has been leading a counter-offensive in the region since August, which has enabled it to retake dozens of localities. Faced with this progress, the Russian authorities had already ordered the departure of civilians and the administration towards the left bank of the Dnieper, the river bordering the city.
In addition, Russia could lose control of the Kakhovka dam, further upstream on the Dnieper, which is strategic for supplying water to the annexed Crimean peninsula which borders the Kherson region.