In what appeared to be a trap or a major Russian defeat, the invading force was noticeably less visible on the west side of the key city of Kherson, and the Russian flag no longer flew atop the regional administration building.
Does this mean that Russia is retreating when Ukraine is about to launch a counteroffensive?
The Kremlin-appointed governor of Kherson province, Kirill Stremusov, seemed to suggest that when he told Russian television: “Our troops, our troops are likely to go to the left bank (east bank) of the Dnieper, away from from the capital.
For two weeks, the Russians have been moving residents and administrators in this direction in anticipation of a fierce battle. But Stremusov stressed that all attacks in Ukraine have been repelled and Ukrainians are highly skeptical of the idea of a Russian withdrawal.
“We should not rush to rejoice,” said Natalia Khumenyuk, a military spokeswoman for southern Ukraine, adding that some Russian military personnel were posing as civilians.
At a news conference on Thursday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed confidence that the Ukrainians are capable of winning the battle for the city, saying: “Ukraine can occupy the remaining territory west of the Dnieper in Kherson.”
“Test our endurance”: Will brutal winter weather change the game in Ukraine or Russia?
Latest News:
►Brittney Griner said Thursday after U.S. embassy officials met with the WNBA star, who has been on drugs since February, that the White House is “doing as well as can be expected.” The crime was imprisoned in Russia.
►Ukrainian officials say the bodies of 868 civilians, including 24 children, have been found in the liberated areas of Kharkiv, Donetsk and Kherson regions. State police official Oleksii Serhiiev said 34 torture sites were discovered after Russian troops left these areas, as well as the Kyiv, Sumy and Chernihiv regions.
► In the latest prisoner of war exchange between the warring countries, the two sides will receive 107 prisoners of war, according to the TASS news agency.
► The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned British Ambassador Deborah Brownart on Thursday for her alleged involvement in the October 29 attack on Black Sea Fleet facilities in Sevastopol, Crimea.
► A majority of Americans support continued aid to Ukraine, according to a Wall Street Journal poll that also showed growing Republican opposition to helping the country.
Inspection found no sign of dirty bomb at Ukrainian site, IAEA says
IAEA inspectors found no “undeclared nuclear activity and material at any of the three Ukrainian sites they inspected,” IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said in a statement Thursday. ” sign.
The move comes at Ukraine’s urging after Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, accused Kyiv of planning to detonate a “dirty bomb” – a device to blast and diffuse radioactive material – and blamed Moscow for it. checked.
The United States and some of its allies called the accusation “clearly false.”
Inspectors have free access to three facilities that Russia has identified as sites for dirty bomb activity, Grossi said. “Our results to date show no indication of any undeclared nuclear activity and material at those three sites.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the inspection confirmed Ukraine’s argument that it did not make dirty bombs, adding: “The only dirty things in our region now are the heads of Muscovites.”
‘We can’t let this stand’: US senator visits Kyiv to visit damaged power company
The two U.S. senators saw firsthand the impact of what they called “the largest campaign against civil energy infrastructure in human history” when they visited Kyiv on Thursday and met with Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials.
senator. Chris Coons of Delaware and Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, both a Democrat, has pledged to continue humanitarian support for Ukraine as power plants in Ukraine have been repeatedly hit by Russian missiles and drones, as winter approaches , hundreds of thousands of people without power.
The lawmakers met with family members at the distribution center and toured the headquarters of Ukrenergo, a Ukrainian energy company damaged in the Russian attack.
“Russia has responded to Ukraine’s success on the battlefield by not attacking again on the battlefield, but attacking Ukrainian civilians,” Portman said at a news conference. “Trying to turn off the lights, turn off the fire, turn off the water. It’s cowardice. Yes. It’s barbaric. We cannot tolerate this.”
Russian shelling forces Ukrainian nuclear power plant to run on generators, renewing safety concerns
Ukraine’s nuclear power plant was again disconnected from the grid on Thursday and forced to run with generators due to nearby fighting, raising fresh concerns about its safety. As in previous such cases, Russia and Ukraine blamed each other.
The generators have enough fuel to sustain Europe’s largest Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine for just 15 days, energy company Energoatom said on Telegram. Energoatom said the ability to “keep ZNPP in safe mode” is worrying. “The countdown has begun.”
The shelling damaged power lines connecting the factory to the Ukrainian grid, leaving the factory dependent on diesel generators. Although the plant’s six reactors have been shut down, the facility relies on external electricity to cool spent fuel – a failure to cool the fuel could lead to a nuclear disaster.
Russian troops have occupied much of southeastern Ukraine since the beginning of the war eight months ago, but Ukrainian workers continue to run the factory. Missile attacks are common, and UN nuclear security experts have repeatedly warned of a possible radiation emergency.
The switch to backup power further underscores the “extremely precarious state of nuclear safety and security at the facility and the urgent need to establish a protected area around it,” the IAEA said on Thursday.
7 ships leave Ukrainian ports as grain trade restarts
Russia’s wartime agreement to allow grain to be shipped from Ukraine to world markets came into force again on Thursday, quelling fears of a possible global food crisis.
Seven ships carrying 290,000 tonnes of agricultural products set sail from Ukrainian seaports for Asia and Europe.
Putin said Moscow would rejoin the agreement after receiving assurances that Ukraine would not use the humanitarian corridor to attack Russian troops. He said Russia could withdraw from the pact again if Kyiv reneged on its promise, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that Russia had not committed to extending the pact beyond Nov. 11. 19 due date.
Russia suspended its participation in the grain trade over the weekend, citing an alleged drone strike on its Black Sea fleet in Crimea. Ukraine has yet to acknowledge involvement.
Contributed by: Associated Press