Russian state media says Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has ordered troops to withdraw from the western bank of the strategic Kherson region, as Ukrainian forces have advanced toward the city of Kherson from two directions.
It’s a significant blow to the Russian military, as Kherson was the first major city and only regional capital that Russia had captured since it invaded Ukraine back in February.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had reportedly hoped to use Kherson, a vital gateway port to the Black Sea, as a bridgehead to drive his army further west. Despite that failure, last month he declared Russia had annexed the Kherson region and three other Ukrainian territories.
