Russian Defense Minister

Serhii Shoigu

ordered the commander of the occupying army

Serhiy Surovikin

to withdraw troops from Kherson to the left bank of the Dnieper.

However, the Ukrainian authorities and the military command are not in a hurry to rejoice and declare that there are no signs of a mass withdrawal of the occupiers yet.

TSN.ua has gathered details about the possible retreat of Russian troops from Kherson.

How did the government and the Armed Forces react?

President of Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy

warned Ukrainians against premature joy and advised them to be more restrained.

"Nobody just goes anywhere if they don't feel strong. The enemy doesn't give us gifts, doesn't make "gestures of goodwill". We fight all this. And when you fight, you have to understand that every step is always resistance from the enemy, it's always the loss of the lives of our heroes. That is why we are moving very carefully, without emotions, without unnecessary risk. In the interest of liberating our entire land and that the losses are as small as possible. This is how we will ensure the liberation of Kherson, Kakhovka, Donetsk, and our other cities," Zelenskyy said.

The Armed Forces also do not show excessive optimism about the statements of the occupiers.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces ,

Valery Zaluzhny

, emphasized that 

behind every so-called "gesture of goodwill" by the enemy, there are colossal efforts of the Ukrainian troops

.

"Currently, we cannot confirm or deny the information about the so-called withdrawal of the Russian occupation troops from Kherson. We continue the offensive operation in accordance with our plan. So, in the Kherson direction from October 1, the advance of our troops into the depth of the enemy's defenses is up to 36.5 km , the total area of ​​the recaptured territory reaches 1,381 square kilometers, control over 41 settlements has been restored," - said Zaluzhny.

Nataliya Humenyuk

, spokeswoman for the "South" Operational Command,

said on the air of the Freedom TV channel that the

information from the occupiers should be taken critically

- especially the information that "the occupying power, the military-political leadership of the aggressor country is so conspicuously trying to introduce into the information space."

"The adversary publicly and very actively comments on almost every step they take. In the conditions of a hybrid war and information confrontation, they try to fill the information space with messages convenient for them in order, on the one hand, to prepare self-justifying narratives, and on the other - to, perhaps, to disorient the local population and the Defense Forces.

We do not reject provocations, we see that words are once again not true, we

continue with the defensive operation and counter-offensive actions that were planned. We ask everyone to wait for the moment when we can reveal the results of this operation. What is so is deliberately imposed by the occupying country, it should be taken very critically," Humenyuk noted.

Arestovych: ZSU may need 2-3 weeks

In a conversation with Russian blogger Mark Feygin, the advisor of the Office of the President of Ukraine,

Oleksiy Arestovych

, expressed his belief that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will soon enter Kherson, but did not attempt to predict the exact time.

"The only thing we can state is that sooner or later, bad or good, with losses or without,

we will take Kherson in the near future

. It's hard to say -

it could be 2-3 weeks, it could be 5-7 days, maybe more

. It depends. from so many factors that I don't know at the moment and few people know and can calculate. We don't know the plans of the Russian command. They have enough forces and means to conduct rearguard battles and hold Kherson," the adviser said OPU

According to him, there is no

mass escape of the occupiers to the left bank of the Dnipro

.

"But this is clear - the dams and bridges are not in such a condition that they can be massively flooded. They have a limited carrying capacity. But flood escape across the river is impossible, except by swimming. They are conducting combat work to withdraw the troops, and we are trying to "upset" them to the point of impossibility" by all means," said Arestovych.

The OPU adviser also denied rumors about a possible agreement between Ukraine and the Russian Federation regarding Kherson:

"Our military is moving very slowly. The Russians are working with artillery, we are also working. Now, when they try to leave, we "cover" them. Because 

some are already talking about a "contract", but this is not true

. However, unfortunately, we do not have much heavy weapons to cover them even more and they definitely couldn't get out.

Unfortunately, most of the occupiers will get out of Kherson Oblast alive

," Arestovych said.

Is leaving Kherson a trap?

Military expert

Oleg Zhdanov

emphasized that the occupiers in Kherson are "

looting and taking away everything that can be taken away, but they are not taking away the troops

."

"They are taking away the looted property that they have stolen. This may indicate that deep down they understand that sooner or later Kherson will fall. They are preparing in advance so as not to throw everything away in a panic, they completely want to make bare land there, take away everything , what is possible... All this is accompanied by a wave of information that they seem to be leaving Kherson," he said.

Zhdanov also did not rule out a trap for the Armed Forces in Kherson after the alleged "departure" of the occupiers from the city.

"I call it an 'operation under a foreign flag'.

Special forces and paratroopers (disguised in civilian uniforms) make long-term firing points in residential areas and will resist

. It will all be captured on camera, that allegedly civilians are resisting the Armed Forces of Ukraine." Zhdanov suggests.

Robert Brovdi

, the commander of a separate air reconnaissance group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces "Birds of Magyar" 

 , believes that after leaving Kherson, the occupying forces will "level it to the ground".

"The enemy, having occupied the left bank of the Dnieper as a defensive bridgehead,

will raze Kherson to the ground in a few months. He will do more cruelly than with Mariupol

. Because having the entire regional center, which lies south along the bank of the Dnieper, within direct range of a shot, he will be like in the palm of his hand , to the occupiers. It will be a disaster zone for a long time. Kherson is in great danger," Brovdi warned.

He urged the locals to leave the city as soon as possible.

According to him, "

as soon as the last Russian soldier leaves Kherson, serious artillery duels will begin

."

Read also:

  • "Russia has completely lost momentum": the NATO Secretary General on the retreat of the occupiers from Kherson

  • "The last straw": Arestovych told what prompted Russia to flee from Kherson

  • Heavy explosions are heard in the occupied Kherson region - social networks