Still not forever

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How it was

“The most expedient option is to organize defense along the barrier line of the Dnieper River. Comrade Defense Minister, having comprehensively assessed the current situation, it is proposed to take up defense along the left bank of the Dnieper River, ”So Surovikin suggested leaving Kherson, a city located on the right bank of the Dnieper.

Surovikin called it "a very difficult decision." “At the same time, we will preserve the most important thing - the lives of our servicemen and, in general, the combat effectiveness of the group of troops, which is futile to keep on the right bank in a limited area,” he said.

Shoigu agreed with the proposals and ordered the withdrawal of troops.

At the same time, in his report, Surovikin spoke positively about the affairs of the Russian army. “In general, the situation in the area of ​​the special military operation has been stabilized. The combat capabilities of the combined grouping of troops and forces have increased significantly. At the expense of mobilized citizens and volunteers, the combat strength of military units was increased. Additional reserves have been created,” he said.

How did they react in Ukraine

After Surovikin's speech, Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, noted that it was too early to talk about the withdrawal of troops.

“We need to separate words from deeds,” he said. Podolyak noted that Russian troops still remain in Kherson and Ukraine is not ready to take into account the statements of Surovikin and Shoigu.

“Until the Ukrainian flag starts flying over Kherson, it makes no sense to talk about the withdrawal of Russian troops,” Podolyak said.

Andriy Yermak, head of the office of the President of Ukraine, apparently reacted to the words of Shoigu and Surovikin with distrust. “Some people think that they are very cunning. But we are always one step ahead,” he wrote .

The head of the Nikolaev regional administration, Vitaly Kim, also did not believe the statements of the Russian military leaders. “If the Russians say something, then they will do the opposite!” he wrote . Some settlements of the Nikolaev region on the right bank of the Dnieper, like Kherson, are under the control of the Russian army.

Natalya Gumenyuk, spokeswoman for the Yug Operational Command , said it was like a "staged show." What is being announced now is an attempt to create a certain impression that the lives of soldiers will be saved, that the civilian population will be saved, and another demonization of the armed forces of Ukraine, ”said Gumenyuk.

How the Russians explain the surrender of Kherson

On November 7, Meduza obtained manuals for propagandists on how to prepare public opinion for the surrender of Kherson. According to the publication's sources, the documents were developed in the Kremlin.

According to the manuals, propagandists will need to draw the attention of the audience to the fact that the Kherson direction is “the most difficult for the Russian army at the current stage of the special operation.”

In turn, the difficulty should have been explained by the fact that Ukraine "is vital to demonstrate the combat capability of its terrorist formations in order to ask for new help from the West."

The Kremlin political strategists formulated the key thesis as follows: “Kyiv will not reckon with its own losses - it is ready to kill tens of thousands of its own and others for the sake of new trenches and arms supplies. Russian troops seek to save the lives of civilians and personnel. It is the danger of a massive strike on the city by a huge group of nationalists that dictated the evacuation of civilians from the city to the left bank of the Dnieper.

In addition, the propagandists should have justified the need for a retreat from Kherson by the fact that Ukraine and the NATO countries "threw all their forces" precisely in this direction of the front - and this threatens "huge bloodshed."

Here, the developers of the manuals from the Presidential Administration offered to explain it this way: “Zelensky wants to put on a bloody show for the whole world, present the Armed Forces of Ukraine as sufferers, and demand new money. The enemy wants Kherson to become a trap for Russia, a battlefield with tens of thousands of victims. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are planning to stage a terrorist attack, destroying the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station. Undermining the hydroelectric power station can become a "trap" for our soldiers. In this case, settlements with civilians will be flooded, our military will find themselves in a cauldron and will not even be able to take the fight - they will simply be washed away.

The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, supported the decision to leave the city practically according to this manual. He explained his position as follows: “Surovikin protects the soldier and takes a more advantageous strategic position - convenient, safe. Everyone knew from the very first days of the special operation that Kherson is a difficult combat territory.”

Kadyrov also noted that “it is very difficult to fight in this area”: “Yes, you can keep him, you can organize at least some supply of ammunition, but the cost will be numerous human lives. And this forecast does not suit us. Therefore, I believe that Surovikin acted like a real military general, not afraid of criticism. Previously, Kadyrov did not hesitate to criticize the army leadership for surrendered settlements.

“As long as the army is intact, there is hope to end the war with honor. With the loss of the army, not only Moscow, all of Russia will be lost.” Kutuzov. Replace the word "Moscow" with the word "Kherson". Perhaps it will become clearer,” such a post appeared on the telegram channel of Russia Today editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan after Surovikin’s speech.

How Russia captured Kherson

The battles for Kherson began on the very first day of the war - February 24th.

According to military analyst Sergei Grabsky, a 35,000-strong group of Russian troops took part in the capture of the Kherson region, which was opposed by 15,000 Ukrainian military who were in the Kherson region at the time the invasion began.

Already by noon on February 24, the Russian military managed to get to the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station, at the same time there were first reports that the Russian army had occupied Kherson. On the night of February 25, fighting began for the Antonovsky bridge across the Dnieper, and a little later the bridge was under the control of the Russian military.

On February 25, the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched a counterattack and were able to briefly recapture Kherson. On February 27, it became known about the complete encirclement of Kherson by Russia. On March 1, Russian troops began to clear the city from the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and territorial defense that continued to defend.

On March 2, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reported that there were still areas under Ukrainian control in Kherson, but later that day Kherson Mayor Igor Kolykhaev announced that there were no Ukrainian forces in the city.

During the Russian occupation, there were reports from Kherson of various crimes by the Russian military. So, on March 21, soldiers of the Russian army dispersed the protesting residents of Kherson, who blocked the road for Russian vehicles. There were reports of injuries among the protesters.

According to the World Organization Against Torture, civilians were also abducted and tortured. Citizens with pro-Ukrainian views and former soldiers were detained and placed in the Kherson pre-trial detention center, where they were later tortured.

How did the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian army go?

The counter-offensive of the Ukrainian military in the Kherson region began on August 29. It was preceded by a series of preparatory operations, which included strikes against the supply routes of the Russian group, including the strategically important Antonovsky Bridge and other road and rail bridges across the Dnieper. Also, strikes, including with the use of the HIMARS MLRS, were subjected to ammunition depots and command posts on the territory of the Kherson region.

By the evening of August 29, there were reports . Balka that the Armed Forces of Ukraine managed to break through the first line of Russian defense in three places and regain control over the villages of Novodmitrovka, Arkhangelskoye, Pravdino and Tomina

In September, the Ukrainian army continued to shell the Dnieper crossings, ammunition depots, and command posts of the Russian army. In addition, the Ukrainian military managed to force the Ingulets River and create a new foothold for further offensive, which gradually expanded throughout September.

In early October, Ukraine launched a new major offensive in the Kherson region. Ukrainian and Russian sources reported the liberation of many settlements along the banks of the Ingulets River, as well as on the border with the Dnipropetrovsk region.

“Kherson is Russia forever,” Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the pro-Russian occupation administration of the Kherson region, wrote on his Telegram channel on October 26. On November 9, a few hours before the meeting between Surovikin and Shoigu, it became known about his death. According to the official version, the cause was an accident.