Tag: Dnipro River

  • Russia-Ukraine war: Kherson has imposed a curfew and a river ban as part of a security crackdown

    Following scenes of joy in newly liberated Kherson, Ukrainian authorities imposed a curfew and restricted travel in and out of the city, citing a tense security situation.

    There are fears that Russian troops, who have retreated to the opposite bank of the Dnipro river, will resume shelling.

    From November 13 to 19, Kherson officials have barred the use of river transportation.

    Locals who fled have been warned not to return until their homes have been thoroughly inspected for mines or booby traps.

    Russian explosives litter the region.

    “The enemy mined all critical infrastructure objects,” said Kherson governor Yaroslav Yanushevych.

    He has told citizens to avoid crowded places and stay away from the city centre on Monday because the military will be de-mining there.

    The overnight curfew runs from 17:00 to 08:00 (15:00 to 06:00 GMT). Officials have returned to run Kherson’s administration after the retreat of some 30,000 Russian occupation troops.

    There are also fears that some Russian soldiers may have remained behind in disguise, while collaborators who helped the Russians during the occupation are now liable to be prosecuted.

    In a reminder of the continuing threat, a volley of artillery fire hit the area of Kherson airport on Sunday.

    President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Russians had destroyed all critical infrastructure in Kherson, depriving the city of heat, electricity, water, and communications.

    Ukrainians celebrating in Kherson, 13 Nov 22
    IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERS Image caption, Kherson celebrations followed months of grim Russian occupation

    Gradually essential supplies are arriving in Kherson, Ukrainian officials say.

    Governor Yanushevych has announced a distribution of firewood to residents of Kherson and nearby areas, instructing them to request it with their ID and contact details. The city council also plans to hand out 6,000 small stoves to local residents.

    “Most houses have no electricity, no water, and problems with gas supplies,” said Yuriy Sobolevskiy, a senior council official.

    Kherson’s liberation on Friday was marked by crowds of flag-waving Ukrainians greeting Kyiv’s soldiers with hugs and kisses. The celebrations continued on Saturday.

    Ukrainians see it as a major national victory and humiliation for the Kremlin, on a par with the Russian withdrawal from the Kyiv suburbs in March.

    Ukrainian officials say there was widespread looting by the Russian army. The level of theft has triggered mockery by Ukrainians since a video clip surfaced showing a Russian soldier picking up a raccoon by its tail and throwing it into a cage inside an enclosure – reportedly in Kherson zoo.

    The raccoon meme has gone viral on social media, with Ukrainians turning the raccoon – allegedly a prisoner of the Russians – into a war hero.

    Ukrainians joked about a message on Telegram by a Russian blogger, Anna Dolgareva, which said: “I was begged to provide some good news about Kherson, but really the only good news is that my friend managed to steal a raccoon from Kherson zoo.”

    According to Oleksandr Todorchuk, founder of the animal welfare charity UAnimals, “the raccoon from Kherson zoo was stolen not just by some stupid soldier, but by the Russian command”. In a Facebook post, he said: “They took most of the zoo’s collection to Crimea: from llamas and wolves to donkeys and squirrels.”

    Kherson was the only regional capital to be captured by Russia since the February invasion of Ukraine.

    The region, along with three others, was proclaimed by President Vladimir Putin to be part of Russia, at a ceremony in the Kremlin in September.

     

  • Russia withdrawing troops from major city of Kherson

    Russian troops have been ordered to leave Kherson, a key city in southern Ukraine.

    General Sergei Surovikin stated on television that it is no longer possible to supply Kherson and other parts of the Dnipro River’s west bank.

    He said: “We will save the lives of our soldiers and fighting capacity of our units.

    “Keeping them on the right (western) bank is futile.

    “Some of them can be used on other fronts.”

    Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu responded by saying: “I agree with your conclusions and proposals.

    “Proceed with the withdrawal of troops and take all measures to transfer forces across the river.”

    The announcement marks one of Russia’s most significant retreats – Kherson city was seized by Russia early in the war and is the only regional capital the country has taken during the conflict, which is almost nine months old.

    Mikhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said: “Ukraine does not pay attention to Russian statements – words and actions differ.”

    Kherson region was annexed in September, along with three other parts of Ukraine – Luhansk, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia.

    Mr Zelenskyy has said a number of times that the return of all occupied territory is a condition for any peace talks with Russia.

    But Russia is unlikely to relinquish its claim to the four regions, or to Crimea, which it took in 2014.

  • Russia says forces repelled Ukrainian attack in Kherson region

    Russian forces have repelled Ukrainian attacks in the southern Kherson region and eastern Luhansk area, the Kremlin’s defence ministry claimed today.

    As Ukrainian troops continue with their counteroffensive in the east, Russian-installed officials have been evacuating thousands of civilians from Kherson across the Dnipro river.

    Kherson’s regional capital is the only big city Russia has captured intact since the start of the invasion.

    And the province controls the gateway to Crimea, which Russia seized and claimed to annex in 2014.

    On Monday, pro-Russian authorities in the region announced that men who stayed in the area would have the option of joining a military self-defence unit.

    However, Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s military spy chief, told the Ukrainska Pravda media outlet: “They are creating the illusion that all is lost.

    “Yet at the same time, they are moving new military units in and preparing to defend the streets of Kherson.”

     

  • The Kremlin has refused to disclose whether Putin has ordered troops to leave Kherson

    The Kremlin has avoided answering whether President Vladimir Putin has ordered his military to leave Kherson.

    Dmitry Peskov, Russia’s spokesman, addressed the question to the defense ministry, stating, “This question concerns the conduct of the special military operation.”

    “I recommend you address it to the defence ministry.”

    It comes as Russian-installed officials are evacuating tens of thousands of residents from the western side of the Dnipro river, which splits the region.

    It also comes after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of planning to blow up a major dam in the region.

    Meanwhile, Russia said that Ukrainian forces had killed at least four people and injured 13 in a missile attack on civilians leaving Kherson.

    Mr Peskov also took a subtle dig at what he hinted was a lack of democracy involved in the process to choose a new British prime minister following the resignation of Liz Truss.

    Asked about the possible return of Boris Johnson to the top post, he said: “We do not expect insight and political wisdom from anyone in the countries of the collective West, let alone Britain.

    “Especially in Britain, where people do not choose the person at the head of the executive branch, who appears as a result of internal party shake-ups.”

     

  • What is our current notions about the Kakhovka dam?

    Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of plotting to blow up the Dnipro River’s Kakhovka hydropower facility.

    According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, such a move would wreak extensive destruction.

    What do we know about the dam?

    • 30 meters tall, two miles long
    • Built-in 1956 as part of the hydro-electric plant
    • A 18km3 reservoir – about equal to the Great Salt Lake in Utah, US
    • Supplies water to a number of areas including the Crimean peninsula and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant

    What would happen if it was blown up?

    Much of the Kherson region would be flooded.

    Destroying the hydroelectric power plant would also add to Ukraine’s energy supply issues – the war has damaged a third of its national power network.

    Mr Zelenskyy told the European Council on Thursday that destroying the dam would mean “a large-scale disaster”.

    It would also show Russia had accepted it could not hold onto the region, he added.

    Sergei Surovikin, commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, said earlier in the week that Ukrainian forces were preparing a massive strike on the dam.

    He agreed such a strike could be a disaster.

    Pic: Copernicus Sentinel-2 L2A
    Pic: Copernicus Sentinel-2 L2A