Ukraine reacted skeptically to the announcement that it would withdraw its troops from the Russian city of Kherson and called for the resistance to continue until all occupied cities are liberated.

Moscow’s decision to withdraw its troops from the capital of the Kherson region of southern Ukraine, which has been controlled by the Kremlin since the beginning of the war, was announced on the same day that the US Chief of Staff, General Mark Milley, made a statement about organizing more military operations. More than 100,000 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded in the attack.

Milley said Ukrainian forces likely suffered similar losses.

Both Milley and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky avoided exaggerating the importance of Kherson’s withdrawal of Moscow troops, but US President Joe Biden said it was proof that Russia had “real problems” on the battlefield, more than eight months after the start of the war.

Zelensky suggested that this could be a strategic maneuver by Russia.

“The enemy does not give us any gifts, does not show any ‘gesture of goodwill’, we must win everything,” Zelensky said, before emphasizing that the country would react “with extreme caution”.

Kherson is strategically important as it borders the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, and was the Russians’ biggest trophy so far in the offensive that began on February 24.

The counteroffensive of Ukrainian troops has advanced in recent weeks and has come close to the city. However, the occupation authorities designated by the Russian in Kherson organized the evacuation of the civilian population.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered the commander of Russian operations in Ukraine, Sergei Surovikin, to “withdraw troops” on Wednesday.

In Kiev, deputy and peace negotiator David Arakhamia stressed that the Ukrainian military would not be caught in a false sense of security.

“We do not trust the enemy and we will act according to our plans to liberate the areas,” he said.

Skepticism also reigned among some civilians.

Andriy Orijovskyi, a 46-year-old finance worker, told AFP in Kiev that Russia should not be trusted.

“I believe they’re up to something,” he said.

About 115,000 civilians were evacuated

In Moscow, the authorities tried to justify the decision. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov described the decision as “difficult but fair”.

More ambiguous was Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner mercenary group and previously critical of Russian military strategy.

“It is important not to despair, not to get paranoid, to draw conclusions and work to correct mistakes,” he said on social media.

If Russia loses Kherson, Ukraine regains an important access point to the Sea of ​​Azov, and Russian President Vladimir Putin loses one of his biggest victories since the offensive began.

The withdrawal also exposes the rest of the Russian troops in the Kherson region and raises doubts about Moscow’s ability to control the area, one of four Ukrainian territories Russia announced in September.

Ukrainian troops continue to gradually advance south. Surovikin announced on Wednesday that 115,000 people have been evacuated from the western bank of the Dnieper River, which includes the city of Kherson.

Ukraine denounced as “deportation” the migration of the population to Russia or to areas occupied by Moscow troops.

Bipartisan support in the USA

The prospect of a Republican victory in the midterm elections in the United States raised fears about Washington’s future position in Ukraine, but the White House assured Kiev’s support.

“In foreign policy, we hope to continue with a bilateral approach to countering Russian aggression from Ukraine,” President Biden said after the election, in which he may lose a majority in the House of Representatives. said.