Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed on Friday that it had finished pulling all of its troops from the western bank of the river that divides Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, which includes the city of Kherson.
The loss of this ground is 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.
On Friday Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov insisted the loss in no way represented an embarrassment for President Vladimir Putin, and Moscow continues to view the entire Kherson region, which it “annexed” last month, as part of Russia.
Ukrainian officials were wary of the Russian pullback, and on Friday President Volodymyr Zelensky said the situation in the larger region remained “difficult” with Russia shelling some villages and towns that Ukrainian forces had claimed in recent weeks.
