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Ukraine update: Kherson is liberated [1]
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Date: 2022-11-11
Aerial view of the city of Kherson.
The 11th of November already has a storied place in the history of warfare. But this morning the people of Kherson, and the entering troops of Ukraine, didn’t bother waiting for the 11th minute of the 11th hour. They just got right down to celebrating.
These soldiers are actually members of the Kherson police who joined the military to help free their city.
At this hour, locals have already raised the Ukrainian flag at the city center and are waiting for those troops who are marching into the city.
x People in Kherson wave Ukrainian flags and shout "Glory to Ukraine!" as they wait for Ukrainian forces to enter the city.
As of Nov. 11, Russian forces have completely withdrawn from the west bank of the Dnipro River where the city of Kherson sits, said Russia's DM. pic.twitter.com/iu0kUGfMg5 — The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) November 11, 2022
There are still small numbers of Russian troops wandering, apparently to no purpose, along the waterfront and clustered near the shattered bridge. There is also confirmation that some Russian troops shed their uniforms and put on civilian clothing. None of that seems to matter right now.
x Флаг над ОДА Херсона pic.twitter.com/EjQEMt3h5X — Игорь Пачковский (@Q0MT6pFmbVqynsM) November 11, 2022
The liberation of Kherson is going to continue throughout this day, and likely into tomorrow. The cleanup of remaining Russian forces west of the Dnipro, and the catalog of captured Russian equipment, will be carrying on for many days, if not weeks, after that. Overnight, Russian media came out with a staged video claiming that all Russian forces had been safely removed from Kherson.
x Russian media publishes a video of the night withdrawal of Russian troops to the left bank of the Dnipro river. It is said that "the last units left the right bank". pic.twitter.com/FOtHyukQYG — NOËL 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) November 11, 2022
On the other hand, there were maps purporting to be locations of Russian cell phones that painted a somewhat different picture.
Russia might want to toss a net across the mouth of the Dnipro if they want to pick up some of those guys as they flow down the river. BTW, water temperatures near Kherson are about 10°C (50°F).
But really, this morning isn’t about what happened to those Russian forces. It’s all about the victory of Ukrainian forces, and that victory is special in so many ways. As the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense made sure to point out this morning, their forces are not walking into a ruin. They’re not reaching a city center pulverized into rubble the way that Russia did when they captured Mariupol or so many other locations.
Kherson is largely intact. Tens of thousands of citizens remain there, cheering on the approaching Ukrainian force. That’s because Ukraine fought the battle of Kherson in a smart way, choking off Russian supply routes, keeping up pressure to force Russian troops to expend their ammo and strain their equipment, bringing things to the point where Russia had no choice but to leave the city.
There are, of course, concerns this morning. Russia could be waiting until both troops and civilians are massed in celebration before firing artillery from across the river. The possibility that Russia might choose this moment to toss a missile, or drop a bomb, in the city that Vladimir Putin claimed was “forever Russia” remains real. There’s no doubt that Ukrainian troops will not be packing into that central plaza all at once, the way so many of them would love to do.
But this is a helluva great day, one that Ukraine has worked carefully, over a period of many months, to achieve. It’s a great victory. And a huge, huge defeat for Russia.
The liberation of Kherson is not yet official. But expect that announcement to come at any hour, and expect that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is anxious to pay a visit.
As I’ve been writing, Ukrainian troops have reached the central square. And that thing I said about people being afraid to mass together? Forget it.
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https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/11/11/2135303/-Ukraine-update-Kherson-is-liberated
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