“The situation in Kherson is very bad.” With this phrase, General Sergei Surovkin, who ten days ago was entrusted with directing Russian military operations in Ukraine, summed up the state of this city in southern Ukraine.
At the same time, he confirmed in an interview with the Rossiya 24 TV channel last night, Tuesday, that his forces would ensure the safe evacuation of residents.
Kherson meaning
Perhaps these statements were enough to set off a wave of speculation and speculation about the position of Russian forces, especially in southern Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces have continued to wage a counter-campaign since last September to retake dozens of cities and towns in the south and east that the Russians controlled in for several months.
However, the importance of Kherson is divided into two criteria: moral and strategic.
This is the first major Ukrainian city to fall into the hands of Russian forces since the conflict began on February 24, which was a strong moral boost for Moscow.
It is also one of four regions that the Kremlin announced at the end of September (2022) to be annexed by Russia, and therefore re-Ukrainian control of it would be a painful blow to Moscow and the prestige of its army.
special place
In addition, this region is of particular importance, as it includes the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station and the Antonovsky bridge, which connects the city with the southern bank of the Dnieper and the rest of the Kherson region.
But in light of the intense Ukrainian strikes on these sites, Russian forces fear that the destruction of the Kakhovka dam will lead to widespread flooding.
The geographical position of Kherson is also of particular importance, since the region is located on the border of the Dnipropetrovsk and Nikolaev regions, has a land border with the Crimea in the south, while in the southwest it goes to the Black Sea, and in the southeast to the Sea of Azov.
Notably, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has reached its eighth month, amid continued reciprocal strikes between the two sides, and relatively slow progress for the time being, for Ukrainian forces in their counter-offensive launched last month, after recording significant progress in past at the expense of Russian troops.
