Ukraine counterattacks and warns Russians in occupied Kherson: ‘surrender or be destroyed’
- UK report says Kherson city virtually cut off from other Russia-held territories after bridge strikes
- It was a morale-boost for the Ukrainians as Russian forces occupy around a fifth of the country
A Ukrainian counteroffensive has virtually cut off the Russian-occupied southern city of Kherson and left thousands of Russian troops stationed near the Dnipro River “highly vulnerable”, according to British defence and intelligence officials.
Ukraine has made clear it intends to recapture Kherson, which fell to Russia in the early days of the invasion launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24.
On Thursday, Ukraine presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovich said the operation to liberate Kherson “has already begun”. Kyiv’s forces, he said, were planning to isolate Russian troops there and leave them with three options – to “retreat, if possible, surrender or be destroyed”.
The British military estimated that Ukraine’s counteroffensive in Kherson is “gathering momentum”.
“Their forces have highly likely established a bridgehead south of the Ingulets River, which forms the northern boundary of Russian-occupied Kherson,” the British Defence Ministry said on Thursday.
It added that Ukraine has used its new long-range artillery to damage at least three of the bridges across the Dnieper River.