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The battle for Kherson is imminent: Ukrainian soldiers are preparing for “the toughest battle,” says Ukrainian presidential adviser, adding: “No one is ready to retreat.”
Agence France-Presse reported on October 26 from the road to Kherson that the Ukrainians were advancing towards the city of Kherson from two directions. One of the longer routes starts from the industrial city of Kryvyï Rig and passes through numerous villages, most of which are still under Russian control. A shorter route is via the “M14” motorway directly to Kherson.
The 40-kilometer line from the Ukrainian-controlled town of Mykolaïv to the Russian-occupied city of Kherson forms the backbone of the Kyiv force’s offensive to re-enter the Sea of Azov and Cut off Russia’s access to Crimea.
The war was dominated by elite Ukrainian forces, supported by a motley army of volunteers. Volunteers commute to and from the two-lane road with little protection from Russian drones and warplanes. Many people cursed or complained along the way.
On the road to Kherson in southern Ukraine, two old friends recalled their time as truck drivers before the Russian invasion, the AFP report said. They are now on the front lines of a major battle.
The next phase of this war, the battle for the Russian-occupied city of Kherson, will likely depend on the fighting spirit of soldiers like these two friends, as well as on their commanders (a ex-office supervisor) fighting spirit.
However, both former truck drivers said they had “no objection to going home”. Because “the conditions here are not very good”. The 51-year-old soldier nicknamed “Uncle” said: “We went this way under fire and then came back here under fire.
Surrounded by withered sunflower fields, there was nowhere to hide from Russian bombs and missiles that could fall at any moment. The Ukrainians had just fired their artillery and were preparing for the almost inevitable Russian response.
AFP said the commander, Major Mihailo, was a thin, learned-looking man who used to work in an office and had no combat experience before the Russian invasion. His eyes get wet as he talks about the massive support his troops have received from the few Ukrainian civilians who have yet to flee. The 41-year-old major smiled shyly: “They provide us with fruit, vegetables … we don’t need them,” but “it’s nice to know that our neighbours, our friends, their children, are all supportive. us”.
But his face turned serious when he began to count the weapons Ukraine still needed to finally push the Russians back. “It is very difficult to hit a tank with an automatic rifle,” he said.
Major Mihailo calculated the weapons his troops would need to fight without exposing them to retaliatory fire. And the frustration of incompatible weapons has been there since the early days of the war.
AFP said Washington’s decision to start supplying long-range missiles in late May shifted the balance of power, allowing the Ukrainians to launch a counteroffensive in the northeast. But the Russians used most of their remaining troops to defend Kherson.