The Russian army expects a massive Ukrainian attack to liberate the occupied city of Cherson. “The situation is difficult on this section of the front,” said the new commander-in-chief of Russian troops in Ukraine, Sergey Surovikin, on television on Tuesday evening. It was an unusual performance by the army general, who even seemed to suggest that Russia might consider withdrawing from the city. Surovikin said that “difficult decisions” may be necessary.
Surovikin’s television appearance was the first of its kind in almost eight months of war, and the general painted a bleak picture of the situation in and around Kherson in southern Ukraine. (archive image)
imago images/SNA
Ukraine is shelling residential buildings and the city’s infrastructure. Artillery hits made Ukraine’s crossings over the Dnipro River impassable. This complicates the supply of the city.
“We will act carefully and in good time and do not rule out difficult decisions,” said Surovikin. This passage in particular was understood as an indication of a possible retreat. The head of Russia’s occupation administration in Kherson, Vladimir Saldo, said civilians in some regions on the north right bank of the Dnipro should be evacuated.
The city of Cherson fell into Russian hands in March as the only Ukrainian regional capital. President Vladimir Putin announced the annexation of the region to Russia in October. The Ukrainian army has been advancing again for a few weeks. The Russian soldiers on the right bank are largely cut off.
After several setbacks for the Russian army, Putin appointed Surovikin supreme commander of all troops in Ukraine in early October. “We and the Ukrainians are one people, and we only want Ukraine to be a country friendly to Russia, independent of NATO and the West,” the Russian general said on television. He sees the “criminal regime” in Kyiv as an opponent, which is driving the Ukrainians to their deaths at Western behest. After months of Russian attacks, many Ukrainians can no longer imagine friendship with the neighboring country. Zelensky demands security guarantees for his country to protect it from Russia.
Because the Russian army also fired at Ukraine with Iranian-made drones on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attacked Moscow in his evening speech: He called the use of the weapons from Tehran a declaration of bankruptcy by the Kremlin. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in Berlin that Ukraine would soon be able to defend itself against drone attacks with anti-aircraft weapons from abroad. For the invaded country, Wednesday marks the 238th day of war since February’s Russian invasion.
“Russia’s call for help to Iran is the Kremlin’s acknowledgment of military and political bankruptcy,” Zelensky said in Kyiv. Russia has spent decades investing billions of dollars in its military-industrial complex, but now it has to rely on “pretty simple drones and missiles” from Tehran.
The bombardment of Ukraine with swarms of these drones might give the Russians tactical hope. “It won’t help them strategically anyway,” said Selenski. The President thanked all the air defense personnel who shot down missiles and drones.
He also praised the Iris-T air defense system from Germany: “It’s really a very effective system.” (archive image)
IMAGO/Political-Moments
In the past few days, the Russian army has increasingly shot down Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones at the energy supply in Ukraine, but also at cities. Both Moscow and Tehran deny an arms deal with the drones.
To defend against the drones, NATO promised Ukraine devices that disrupt their electronics – so-called jammers. At a security conference in Berlin on Tuesday, the NATO Secretary General also recalled other anti-aircraft weapons from many countries for Ukraine. “I think the systems we deliver make a big difference,” he said. “The Ukrainians are able to shoot down many incoming missiles and drones.” And Ukraine’s equipment will continue to improve in the future.
In the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, employees were abducted again, as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported in Vienna. A deputy manager of the nuclear power plant and two other employees were recently arrested. While the manager has been released, the others are not yet free, it said. The head of the plant had previously been temporarily detained by the Russian side. He was released in early October. Several IAEA experts are constantly monitoring the situation in Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
Although tech billionaire Elon Musk has pledged continued satellite internet funding for Ukraine, the US Department of Defense is also negotiating a permanent solution with other providers. So far, Musk’s space company SpaceX has not been paid anything to operate the Starlink Internet service in Ukraine, a Pentagon spokesman said in Washington.
The Department of Defense is in talks with SpaceX and other companies to see how best to deploy satellite internet there. Shortly after the Russian attack, SpaceX activated the Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine and supplied the necessary receiving systems. Communication is important for civilians and the Ukrainian military. Last week, Musk briefly threatened to end Starlink’s funding for Ukraine.
That will be important on Wednesday
Russia’s President Putin is consulting with his Security Council on securing the borders of the giant empire and on migration policy.