Russia’s withdrawal of troops from the southern city of Kherson will take at least a week, slowing battlefield operations in the winter and giving both sides a chance to regroup, Ukraine’s defense minister said on Thursday.
In an interview in Kiev, Oleksii Reznikov said that Russia has 40,000 soldiers in the Kherson region and still has forces in the city, around the city and on the right bank of the vast Dnipro River.
“It’s not that easy to get these troops out of Kherson in a day or two. At least (this will take a week),” he told Reuters, admitting that Russia’s actions are difficult to predict.
Russia announced Wednesday that it will withdraw from the west bank of the Dnipro, which includes the city of Kherson, the only regional capital Moscow has captured since its invasion of Ukraine in February.
Such an exit would free forces on both sides to fight elsewhere, Reznikov said.
Ukraine said it has a security and defense force of 1 million to maintain a “non-hostile” 2,500km border with Belarus, Russia and Ukraine’s occupied territories.
Reznikov downplayed the threat of a Russian nuclear attack in Ukraine and dismissed as “crazy” the idea that Moscow could blow up the massive Kakhovka dam in the south when its forces retreat.
He said such a move would flood areas under Moscow’s control and also cut off their access to fresh water resources via a canal from Dnipro to annexed Crimea.
Both sides of the conflict accused the other of plotting the demolition of the dam.
source: Noticias
