Russia-Ukraine war-latest news: Kherson retreat an ‘opportunity’ to negotiate peace, says US

Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, approved the withdrawal of troops from Kherson. And General Sergey Surovikin, head of Russian forces in Ukraine said yesterday that it was “a hard decision”, Kyiv Independent reported.

“Having assessed the situation, I propose to prepare defences along the left bank of the Dnipro River,” he added.

“We have data that everything of value has already been moved out of Kherson,” Serhiy Tsehotskiy, the press officer of the Russian forces.

“We know for certain that the entire city administration, all the government institutions, are already empty, the buildings don’t even have flags anymore.”

The deputy governor of Kherson, installed by the Kremlin, was killed in a car crash, the local media reported.

Kirill Stremousov, 45, was appointed the deputy governor two months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Kherson’s Russian-appointed governor Vladimir Saldo also confirmed his death and later Vladimir Putin posthumously awarded him a prestigious Russian medal, the Order of Courage.

The car crash took place on a road between Kherson city and Armyansk, a town to the south-east of Crimea.

Ukraine responded with some caution on Wednesday to the reported news that Russia has withdrawn from Kherson, the only major city it has captured since the start of the conflict.

Volodymyr Zelensky, during his national address, urged restraint despite “a lot of joy in the media space today”, adding “the enemy does not bring us gifts, does not make ‘gestures of goodwill’. We fight our way up.”

“And when you are fighting, you must understand that every step is always resistance from the enemy, it is always the loss of the lives of our heroes.

“Therefore, we move very carefully, without emotions, without unnecessary risk. In the interests of the liberation of our entire land and so that the losses are as small as possible.”

Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Zelensky, said in a statement to Reuters: “Until the Ukrainian flag is flying over Kherson, it makes no sense to talk about a Russian withdrawal.”

Russian president Vladimir Putin will not attend the G20 summit in Indonesia next week, the Associated Press reported.

Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the Chief of Support for G20 events told reporters in Denpasar, Indonesia today: “The Indonesian government respects the decision of the Russian government, which President Putin himself previously explained to President Joko Widodo in a very friendly telephone conversation.”

Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov will lead the Russian delegation instead.

Iranian weapons allegedly used by Russia against Ukraine are under fresh scrutiny after Kyiv unveiled details about Western-sourced components of drones it had captured on the battlefield.

Ukraine’s defence ministry says that an Iranian-made Mohajer-6 drone used by Russian forces in the skies of eastern Europe bore dates suggesting it was manufactured in February, the month Moscow launched its attack, potentially contradicting Tehran’s claims that it had sold the weapons before the war began.

The withdrawal from the western bank of the River Dnipro means the loss of Kherson, the only regional capital Russia had captured in the conflict, and deals a severe blow to plans to establish a land corridor to Crimea and secure the water supply to the Russian-controlled peninsula.

Recapture of the port city would give Ukraine significant leverage in future talks, Kim Sengupta writes:

The family of a British man who died in Ukraine has described him as a “real hero”.

Simon Lingard died fighting for the Ukrainian side on 7 November after his military unit was attacked, his son Jackson said.

“My Dad was an inspiration to all who knew him, a real life hero who died fighting for what he believed in.

“He was loved and adored by so many. A true representation of what a soldier should be,” said Jackson.

“I can’t put into words how much he is (and will be) missed, but I’m comforted to know that this happened doing what he loved and surrounded by friends. I love you dad, I’m so proud of you.”

The UK is sending 1,000 surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine to boost its defence against the Russian invasion, defence secretary Ben Wallace has announced.

It comes as Vladimir Putin’s troops were ordered to pull out of occupied city of Kherson in the face of continued Ukrainian attacks.

The shipment of British missiles comes in response to requests from Kyiv more air defence capabilities, as Rishi Sunak vowed to support Ukraine against “Russian aggression”.

Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said he was “absolutely confident” the UK will continue to “lead by example” on defence spending – as he called on Nato allies and partners to do more.

“The United Kingdom has led by example over many years when it comes to… defence spending, spending more than 2 per cent of GDP on defence,” he told reporters outside No 10 after meeting Mr Sunak.

He added: “But of course in a more dangerous world we need to invest more in our defence, and I am absolutely confident that the United Kingdom will continue to lead by example.”

US president Joe Biden said that Russia’s decision to withdraw from Kherson shows its military has “some real problems”.

He also suggested that Russia’s retreat would allow both sides to “recalibrate their positions” over the winter.

“It’s evidence of the fact that they have some real problems, Russia, the Russian military,” the US president told reporters. “I find it interesting that they waited until after the [US midterm] election to make that judgment.”

Russia’s retreat from Kherson could provide Kyiv and Moscow with an opportunity to negotiate peace, US Army General and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley said.

He added that as many as 40,000 Ukrainian civilians and “well over 100,000 Russian soldiers” have been killed or wounded in the war. “Same thing probably on the Ukrainian side.”

“There has been a tremendous amount of suffering, human suffering,” he added.

Speaking at the Economic Club in New York, Mr Miller said it’s possible the Russians will use the retreat to reset their troops for a spring offensive, but “there’s also an opportunity here, a window of opportunity for negotiation.”

He continued that Russia and Ukraine will have to come to a “mutual recognition” that a military victory “is maybe not achievable through military means, and therefore you need to turn to other means.”