Russians ordered to leave Kherson as region’s deputy governor dies in mysterious car crash

Moscow has ordered its forces to leave the city of Kherson, a major embarrassment for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia withdraws troops from occupied Kherson city as region’s deputy governor dies in mysterious car crash.

Russia has ordered its troops to withdraw from the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine.

It’s a major blow to Russia’s campaign amid a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

“Begin to pull out troops,” Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said at a televised meeting with Russia’s commander in Ukraine, Sergei Surovikin.

The commander had proposed the “difficult decision” of pulling back from the city and setting up defences on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River.

Kherson city was the first urban hub captured by Russia during its “special military operation” and the only regional capital controlled by Moscow’s forces since the offensive began on February 24.

Russian forces blew up at least seven bridges as they retreated, Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko reported.

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Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu has ordered Moscow's troops to withdraw from the city of Kherson in southern Ukraine. Picture: Andrey Borodulin/AFP

Ukraine’s troops have for weeks been capturing villages en route to the city near the Black Sea and Kremlin-installed leaders in Kherson have been pulling out civilians.

But Ukraine responded with scepticism to the Russian announcement. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhaylo Podolyak said some Russian troops remained in the city.

“We see no signs that Russia is leaving Kherson without a fight,” he said on Twitter.

“Ukraine is liberating territories based on intelligence data, not staged TV statements.” Kremlin supporters meanwhile rushed to justify the decision. The head of Russian state media group RT, Margarita Simonyan, said the retreat was necessary in order not to leave Russian troops exposed on the west bank of the Dnipro River and “open the way to Crimea”.

The move comes just hours after it was announced the Moscow-installed deputy governor of the Kherson region had died in a mysterious car crash.

Russia’s Ukraine commander General Sergei Surovikin said supplying the city was no longer possible.

The bulk of the city is on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, closer to Ukrainian forces which have been inching closer to Kherson.

BREAKING!!!
Russia leaves Kherson.
Absolute Ukrainian triumph.

— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) November 9, 2022

7 bridges blown up already in #Kherson region as #russia retreats to the left bank of the Dnipro river. #Ukraine will rebuild fast and push the occupiers out beyond the border

— Lesia Vasylenko (@lesiavasylenko) November 9, 2022

In recent months, Ukraine has successfully taken out most of the river crossings near Kherson forcing supplies and people to use vulnerable and slow moving ferries to get in and out of the city.

Russia has already moved thousands of residents from the city.

Russian forces will move to the western bank of the Dnipro leaving a large chunk of the Kherson region no longer under Moscow’s control.

“In these circumstances, the most sensible option is to organise the defence along a barrier line along the river Dnipro,” Gen Surovikin is reported to have told a meeting of senior military leaders.

Moscow controlled news outlet Russia Today reported the defence ministry had said the withdrawal was to “avoid unnecessary losses among its forces and spare the lives of civilians”.

Gen Surovikin said the decision was “not an easy one” but Russian troops were risking “total isolation” if they remained in the city.

On 30 September, Russia declared that it had annexed the Kherson region along with the regions of Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk. None were – or are – fully under Moscow’s yoke. Russia does control the entirety of the Ukrainian region of Crimea which it invaded in 2014.

Kherson city is mostly on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River which is closer to Ukrainian troops and harder to defend by Russia. Picture: Google.

Region’s deputy governor dies in mysterious crash

Earlier on Wednesday, Russian state media had reported Kirill Stremousov, 45, was killed in a supposed car accident.

The highly-visible deputy head of the occupying regimen died as Ukraine is expected to launch a major counteroffensive in the region.

Russia is evacuating Kherson ahead of the predicted attack, but is believed to be forcing Ukrainians fleeing to head east towards Russia.

Earlier today, hours before his death, Stremousov had typically accused the West of being behind the Ukrainian advance in Kherson.

Many English and Polish-speaking mercenaries are among the advancing forces, he alleged, offering no proof.

Kirill Stremousov, 45, deputy head of the annexed Kherson region, was killed in a 'car crash'

Stremousov had claimed he was in the city helping people flee. The place he was killed is Russian controlled and 200km miles from Kherson city.

Ukrainian blogger and politician Anatoly Shariy said: “Several sources confirmed the death of Stremousov.

“If this is true, then I understand what kind of ‘traffic accident’ this was right now when the surrender of Kherson is obvious.”

He appeared to imply that Stremousov had many enemies for supporting the Russian occupation forces, which are now pulling back.

He added: “And the main thing – if he was killed, and exactly in the way I was told it happened, then it was no Ukrainian Army spies killing him.”

A woman walks in the Kherson region village of Arkhanhelske (Photo by BULENT KILIC / AFP)

“Russia is in Kherson forever,” Stremousov – who had worked as a handyman in the US – had boasted, ahead of losses which mean Putin’s forces are on the retreat.

But the official also had enemies among Russians after blasting Putin’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu for alleged incompetence in defending Kherson.

“There is no need to cast a shadow over the entire Russian Defence Ministry at the moment because of some, I am not saying traitors,” he said last month.

Shoigu’s “untalented military commanders” have “not really bothered to answer for all the processes and holes that now exist”, he said.

He declared: “Indeed many say, if I were the defence minister who allowed this state of affairs to happen, as an officer I could have just shot myself.”

He then suggested that the word “officer” was “incomprehensible” to Shoigu.

Stremousov, a Ukrainian pro-Russian politician wanted in Kyiv for treason, lumped Shoigu and his generals together with “corrupt marauders and other scum” in the Russian defence ministry.

Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russian-backed Kherson administration, is pictured in his office, with a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin seen on the wall behind him. (Photo by STRINGER / AFP)

Political analyst Sergey Markov said: “Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Kherson region, was killed. It’s all very strange.

“He kept saying that Kherson could not be handed over and it would not be handed over.

“He died on the day when they began to actively talk about the surrender of Kherson.

“He died not from a terrorist attack, but in an accident. Not in Kherson, but in Genichesk

“With him in the car was a military commander Kotz, he did not die.

“All this is very strange.”

Originally published as Russians ordered to leave Kherson as region’s deputy governor dies in mysterious car crash