I AM JEAN NEPO GWANEZA THIS IS MY FIRST BLOG POST TALK ABOUT UKRAINE AND RUSSIN WAR WHICH WAS CALLED RUSSIAN MILLITART OPERATIONS.
It's mid-afternoon in Kyiv. Here's what you need to know.
Russian forces have announced their withdrawal from the west bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson region in what represents a dramatic strategic setback. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials are skeptical of Russia's plans and Zelensky said Ukrainian troops would proceed carefully towards Kherson city.
Here are the latest headlines:
- Zelensky cautious over Russian withdrawal: After Moscow ordered a retreat from the key southern city of Kherson, Russian military spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the withdrawal was underway Thursday. However Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested Wednesday that the announcement may be a strategic move to regroup forces, and Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser in the Office of the Ukrainian President, added to a chorus of caution, saying that Moscow “wants to turn Kherson into a ‘city of death.’”
- Ukrainian forces advance in south: The Ukrainian military has recaptured Snihurivka, a town in the southern Mykolaiv region that lies on the main road to the Russian-occupied city of Kherson, in the neighboring Kherson region. The commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s military said Thursday that Russia “was left with no other option but to resort to fleeing” in the Kherson region.
- Putin to miss G20 summit: Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend in person a summit of leaders from the Group of 20 nations in Bali next week, the Russian embassy in Indonesia told CNN on Thursday. Putin will be represented by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, said Yulia Tomskaya, the chief of protocol at the embassy.
- Biden hopeful of getting Griner home: US President Joe Biden said he’s optimistic that with the midterm elections over, Putin may be more willing to discuss the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was recently transferred to a Russian penal colony to serve the remainder of a nine-year drug smuggling sentence that was upheld in late October. "My intention is to get her home," said Biden.
Russia says troops are "maneuvering to prepared positions" on eastern bank of Dnipro River
From CNN's Anna Chernova
Russian troops in Ukraine’s occupied Kherson region are conducting their announced withdrawal to the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, according to military spokesman Igor Konashenkov.
“In the Mykolaiv-Kryvyi Rih direction, units of the Russian group of troops are maneuvering to prepared positions on the left bank of the Dnipro river, in strict accordance with the approved plan,” Konashenkov said Thursday during his daily briefing.
Ukrainian officials have expressed skepticism about Russia’s withdrawal announcement.
Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi said Thursday that he could “neither confirm nor deny” that the withdrawal was taking place, and that “we keep conducting offensive operations in accordance with our plan.”
Ukraine commander says Russia had "no other option but to resort to fleeing" in Kherson region
From CNN's Mick Krever in Kyiv
The commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s military said Thursday that Russia “was left with no other option but to resort to fleeing” in the Kherson region.
“Significant efforts of our military are behind the so-called ‘goodwill gesture’ of the enemy,” Valerii Zaluzhnyi said on Twitter.
“Just as the enemy retreated from Kyiv and Kharkiv oblast, abandoned Zmiinyi (Snake) Island, the likely pullout from Kherson are the outcome of our active operations.”
In the past day alone, Zaluzhnyi said that Ukraine had liberated hundreds of square kilometers of territory in the push towards occupied Kherson city.
“Only during the past day along Petropavlivka–Novoraisk axis, [Ukrainian] Defence Forces advanced 7km, retook control over 6 settlements, 107 sq km of [Ukrainian] territory," he said. "Along Pervomaiske–Kherson axis, we advanced 7km, retook control over 6 settlements, the area of liberated territory is 157 sq km.”
Zaluzhnyi said that in Ukraine’s counter-offensive towards occupied Kherson, its forces have “destroyed the logistic lines & support system, disrupted the enemy’s command & control system.”
Nonetheless, he expressed skepticism that Russia would voluntarily withdraw from all of the Kherson region west of the Dnipro River.
“As of now, we can neither confirm nor deny the information about the so-called withdrawal of [Russian] occupational troops from Kherson,” he said. “We keep conducting offensive operations in accordance with our plan.”
Ukrainian official says Russia aims to turn Kherson into "city of death"
From CNN's Mick Krever and Julia Kesaieva in Kyiv
A senior Ukrainian official has added to the chorus of caution from Kyiv about Russia’s stated intention to withdraw from Kherson west of the Dnipro River.
Russia “wants to turn Kherson into a ‘city of death,’” Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser in the Office of the Ukrainian President, said on Twitter on Thursday.
“Ru-military mines everything they can: apartments, sewers. Artillery on the left [eastern] bank plans to turn the city into ruins. This is what ‘Russian world’ looks like: came, robbed, celebrated, killed ‘witnesses,’ left ruins and left,” he said.
Were Russia to withdraw from the city of Kherson, the settlement would still be well within artillery range of the Russian military on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River.
On Wednesday, Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for the Ukrainian armed forces in the south, stressed the need for "media silence" as operations continue in Kherson region.
Humeniuk added that all information "has to be perceived critically," an apparent reference to the Russian announcement that troops will be withdrawn from the west bank of Kherson.
"The enemy does not give us gifts": Zelensky cautious after Russia's Kherson announcement
From CNN's Tim Lister, Julia Kesaieva and Darya Tarasova
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says that Ukraine will "move very carefully, without emotions, without unnecessary risk," in the light of Russia's announcement that it is withdrawing its troops from part of Kherson region.
Zelensky struck a note of caution that has been echoed by senior government officials following Moscow's claim that it will retreat from the west bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson.
"No one just leaves if they do not feel strong. The enemy does not give us gifts, does not make 'gestures of goodwill'. We fight for it," Zelensky said in his daily video message.
"And when you fight, you must understand that every step is always the enemy's resistance, it is always the loss of lives of our heroes."
"We are gradually moving to the south, strengthening our positions. Step by step," Zelensky said. "But our emotions must be restrained -- always during the war. I will definitely not feed the enemy with all the details of our operations. Whether in the south, or in the east, or anywhere else -- when our result is achieved, everyone will see it."
Here's the latest map of control in Ukraine
Ukraine recaptures town of Snihurivka in push towards Kherson city
From CNN's Mick Krever and Teele Rebane
The Ukrainian military has recaptured Snihurivka, a town in the southern Mykolaiv region that lies on the main road to the Russian-occupied city of Kherson, in the neighboring Kherson region.
CNN geolocated a video posted Thursday morning showing Ukrainian troops in a main square of the town holding a Ukrainian flag, as a group of villagers cheer and applaud.
"Today, November 10, Snihurivka settlement was liberated by the 131st separate scout battalion,” a soldier says. “Glory to Ukraine!"
The recapture of Snihurivka is a significant victory for the Ukrainian military in their push toward Kherson city, and comes a day after Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu ordered a withdrawal of Russian forces from the west bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region.
Analysis: Russia's withdrawal from half of Kherson is both humiliating and unsurprising
Analysis from CNN's Tim Lister
Russia’s Defense Ministry says its troops are preparing to withdraw from a large part of the occupied Ukrainian region of Kherson, in a move that’s humiliating but also — after the developments of recent weeks — unsurprising.
The plan would give up thousands of square kilometers (including some of Ukraine’s best farmland) that Russia has occupied since the early days of the invasion, and was formally declared its territory just five weeks ago.
At a choreographed meeting in Moscow on Wednesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Gen. Sergey Surovikin — the recently appointed commander of what Moscow refers to as its “special military operation” in Ukraine — put the best possible face on the withdrawal.
Since August, Russian troops have killed 9,500 Ukrainian soldiers in Kherson and successfully repelled “up to 80% to 90% of enemy missiles,” Surovikin claimed.
Nevertheless, a retreat would protect the lives of civilians and troops, he said.
“I understand that this is a very difficult decision, but at the same time we will preserve the most important thing — the lives of our servicemen and the overall combat capability of the grouping of troops, which is futile to keep on the right (west) bank in a limited area,” Surovikin said.
Russian commentators and officials have carefully avoided the word retreat, spinning the “withdrawal” as a smart military call to regroup on the eastern side of the river Dnipro, in defensible positions that Ukrainian forces would struggle to destroy.
It’s not known at this stage how the Ukrainians will respond. Their troops on the southern front lines are exhausted and the land ahead of them is likely to be heavily mined. Pursuing the Russian troops would shed more blood, as would any fighting in dense areas like Kherson city.
Read Tim Lister's full analysis here.
Putin will not attend G20 summit in person, Russian embassy says
From CNN's Mayumi Maruyama and Nectar Gan
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend in person a summit of leaders from the Group of 20 nations in Bali next week, the Russian embassy in Indonesia told CNN on Thursday.
Putin will be represented by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, said Yulia Tomskaya, the chief of protocol at the embassy.
Tomskaya added that Putin is still deciding if he will join one of the meetings virtually.
Putin’s decision not to attend the G20 summit in person saves him the embarrassment of being confronted — or shunned — by other world leaders over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In the lead up to the event, Western countries and Ukraine have pressured Indonesia, the G20 host, to step up its condemnation of Moscow and withdraw its invitation to Putin for the summit.
Read more here.
Zelensky hopes US bipartisan support of Ukraine aid continues after midterms
From CNN's Claire Calzonetti, Madalena Araujo, Emmet Lyons and Niamh Kenned
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday thanked the United States, especially US taxpayers, for the billions of dollars of military aid they have given to Ukraine and asked for it to continue.
"We would really like for the support — especially the amount of support — to stay the same," he said in an interview with CNN’s Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour.
The Ukrainian leader also commented on recent "mixed messages" from Republican lawmakers, a reference to threats made to cut aid to Ukraine if Republicans win control of the House in the midterms. Zelensky said he hoped US bipartisan support for the Ukrainian war effort would continue whatever the outcome.
"We are grateful for bipartisan support. We would really like to have this bipartisan support remain after the elections," he said. "It’s very important to preserve this level of support — because the US support sends a very significant, powerful signal."
Note: The full interview with Zelensky will air on Amanpour at 1 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Artillery given to Ukraine by US helped "break" Russian offensive, Zelensky tells CNN
From CNN’s Claire Calzonetti, Madalena Araujo, Emmet Lyons and Niamh Kenned
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said a recent Pentagon assessment that Russia has lost 50% of its tanks in the war in Ukraine “more or less corresponds to reality.”
In an interview with CNN’s Chief International Anchor Christiane Amanpour on Wednesday, Zelensky said Russia has suffered a “stunning” number of losses of military personnel and artillery.
On Tuesday, Colin Kahl, the Pentagon’s Under Secretary of Defense for Policy told reporters Russia will come out of the war “weaker than when it went in,” having “probably lost half of their main battle tanks in the entire Russian military.” Kahl also pointed to the fact that Russia has “bogged down more than 80% of their land force in Ukraine” and exhausted the majority of its precision guided weapons in Ukraine.
When asked by Amanpour if the Pentagon’s figures matched Ukraine’s tally, Zelensky responded: “I think this more or less corresponds to reality — although frankly speaking, nobody knows the full reality, especially as regards personnel.”
Zelensky said he estimated Russia has suffered “10 times” more losses than Ukraine, adding that although he couldn’t give exact figures there is “a very significant difference” between the losses sustained by the two countries.
He also said Ukraine’s reluctance to throw men away as “cannon fodder” is another reason why it has not suffered as many casualties as Russia.
“Whenever we ask our partners for artillery or armored vehicles, that it is not just about the weapons, but first of all protection for our military,” Zelensky added.
The Ukrainian leader pointed to the fact that artillery provided to Ukraine by the United States and Europe succeeded in helping to “break” the Russian military offensive.
“We stopped them, we de-occupied a large part of our territory. And this indeed was helped by the artillery and the new technologies,” Zelensky stressed.
Russia and Ukraine each likely suffered 100,000 troops killed or wounded, top US general says
From CNN's Oren Liebermann
Russia has suffered more than 100,000 killed and wounded soldiers as a result of the war in Ukraine, the top US general said Wednesday evening — and Ukraine is probably looking at similar numbers.
Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Mark Milley, speaking at an event at The Economic Club of New York, called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “tremendous strategic mistake” for which the country would pay “for years and years and years to come.”
The war, which began in February, has caused a tremendous amount of human suffering, Milley said, including between 15 million and 30 million refugees and about 40,000 Ukrainian civilians killed.
“You’re looking at well over 100,000 Russian soldiers killed and wounded,” Milley said. “Same thing probably on the Ukrainian side.”
Road to peace: Milley said there may be a chance to negotiate an end to the conflict if and when the front lines stabilize during winter.
“When there’s an opportunity to negotiate, when peace can be achieved, seize it,” Milley said. “Seize the moment.”
But if negotiations never materialized or failed, Milley said the United States would continue to arm Ukraine, even as outright military victory for either side looks increasingly unlikely.
“There has to be a mutual recognition that military victory is probably in the true sense of the word may be not achievable through military means, and therefore you need to turn to other means,” he said.
Kherson withdrawal: Milley also said the US was seeing initial indications that Russia was indeed pulling out of Kherson, as they had stated. But he said the withdrawal of up to 30,000 Russian troops from the west bank of the Dnipro River could take days or even weeks.
“I believe they’re doing it in order to preserve their force, to re-establish defensive lines south of the river, but that remains to be seen,” Milley said. “Right now, the early indicators are they’re doing what they say they’re doing and we’re seeing those early indicators.”
Zelensky says Russia's announcement of a withdrawal near Kherson might just be a regroup
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that Russia's announcement of a withdrawal near the southern city of Kherson may be a strategic move to regroup forces.
But he also said, in an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, that at a time of his choosing, Ukrainian progress on the battlefield would come.
"So they [The Russians] are ready to defend this region and they’re not ready to leave the city, and the fact that they are in these homes [they’ve occupied] means that they are seriously preparing, but we are also seriously prepared for these developments."
He added that Ukrainians "are not considering this as just one single operation."
"We have a strategy and different directions," he added.
Some background: Russian state media reported that Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has ordered a withdrawal of Russian forces from the west bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region. His order comes as Ukrainian forces advance toward the city of Kherson from two directions.
Biden says he hopes Putin will be more willing to negotiate Griner's release with midterms over
From CNN's Nikki Carvajal
US President Joe Biden said he’s hopeful that with the midterm election over, Russian President Vladimir Putin will be more willing to discuss the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was recently transferred to a Russian penal colony to serve the remainder of a nine-year drug smuggling sentence that was upheld in late October.
“My guess is — my hope is that now that the election is over, that Mr. Putin will be able to discuss with us and be willing to talk more seriously about prisoner exchange,” Biden said Wednesday during a news conference at the White House. “That is my intention. My intention is to get her home.”
The President said the US has had discussions with Russia — but is hoping that with the election over, "there is a willingness to negotiate more specifically with us."
Asked if he could explain some of the alternative ways forward the administration had previously referred to and how Russia had responded to them, Biden answered, “I can but I won’t.”
“I’m determined to get her home safely, along with others I might add,” he said.
British national dies in Ukraine, UK government says
From CNN's Niamh Kennedy in London
The UK government said Wednesday that a British man lost his life in Ukraine.
The UK foreign office in a statement said it was "supporting the family of a British national who has lost his life in Ukraine," but did not reveal the person's name.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) added that it was in touch with "the local authorities in connection with his death."
In June, former British Army soldier Jordan Gatley was shot and killed while fighting in Ukraine's Severodonetsk, CNN reported at the time.
British aid worker Paul Urey died in the annexed Donetsk region of Ukraine earlier this year after the Russian invasion started, CNN reported.
Senior Russian-appointed official in occupied Kherson "killed in road accident"
From CNN's Tim Lister, Uliana Pavlova, Anna Chernova, Darya Tarasova and Nathan Hodge
One of the most senior Russian-appointed officials in occupied Ukrainian territory has been killed, Russian officials and state news agencies said Wednesday.
The Russian-appointed deputy head of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, Kirill Stremousov, died in a road accident, the press secretary of the head of the region said, according to Russian news agency TASS.
Also on Wednesday, Russia ordered a retreat from the west bank of the Dnipro River across the Kherson region, a dramatic setback for Moscow in the face of recent Ukrainian advances.
Stremousov was killed in an accident on the highway between Kherson and Armyansk in Crimea, the Russian state media company Vesti (VGTRK) reported, citing the region’s health minister. Stremousov was 45 years old, according to Vesti.
His death was also announced by the Russian-appointed “head” of Kherson, Vladimir Saldo, who wrote in a statement on Telegram: “It is very hard for me to say that Kirill Stremousov died today. He died on the territory of the Kherson region, moving in a car that got into an accident.”
Read more here.
Russia will withdraw forces from Kherson in Ukraine war setback
From CNN's Tim Lister, Darya Tarasova and Rob Picheta
Russia has ordered a retreat from the key southern city of Kherson, the only regional capital it has captured since February’s invasion, in a dramatic strategic setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In the face of Ukrainian advances in the region, Russian troops across the Kherson region will withdraw from the west bank of the Dnipro River, an area that includes Kherson city, Russian state media reported Wednesday.
The order came at a meeting in Moscow between Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, Gen. Sergei Surovikin, as Ukrainian forces approach the city from two directions.
The Russian withdrawal would represent the most significant military moment in the war since Ukrainian forces swept through the northern Kharkiv region in September.
Ukrainian officials have however remained skeptical that Russian forces had left the west bank altogether.
“Actions speak louder than words. We see no signs that Russia is leaving Kherson without a fight,” Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser in the Office of the President, tweeted.
Ukraine “is liberating territories based on intelligence data, not staged TV statements,” Podolyak added.
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