Humiliation for Russia as troops pull out of Kherson
VLADIMIR Putin has given up his one and only strategic achievement in Ukraine, Ben Wallace declared yesterday, after the Kremlin said its soldiers are pulling out of Kherson.
The embarrassing retreat from a city annexed by the tyrant just five weeks ago was announced after the Russian Foreign Ministry said it was “ready to negotiate with Ukraine”.
But Defence Secretary Mr Wallace warned the West must never underestimate the Russian army and must continue supporting Kyiv.
The Kherson withdrawal was confirmed by Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu during a stage-managed TV announcement – after Gen Sergei Surovikin had said it was no longer possible to keep supplying troops in the eastern city.
Earlier, Moscow Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova had declared: “The Russian Federation is ready to negotiate with Ukraine, taking into account the realities that are developing at the moment.”
Mr Wallace said Kherson was the “one objective the Russians successfully captured in all of their plans on February 24” but they had now “given it up”.
He added: “It begs the question of the Kremlin – What was it all for? Why did you throw away the lives and limbs of 100,000 Russians, whether they are dead, injured or broken? For a vanity project? For a show of strength?
“Because if this is a show of strength, your army has been decimated and people will question your position in the world as a state. But I wouldn’t underestimate the Russians. The Russian army has made this logical decision because it is struggling in the east of the country.
“It’s basically Russia 0, Ukraine 1. But history says, ‘Do not underestimate the Russian army.’”
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak also urged caution, saying: “We see no signs Russia is leaving Kherson without a fight.”
But Pro-Kremlin war bloggers condemned the retreat. One, known as War Gonzo, called it a “black page in the history of the Russian army”.
Russian media also revealed the deputy leader of Kherson, Kirill Stremousov, had died in a car crash.
Mr Wallace, Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg and defence ministers from 10 other nations, yesterday oversaw Ukrainian troops training in the UK – as the Government said it is sending another 1,000 surface-to-air missiles to the war-torn country.