Kherson Has Fallen?

If Russia's top general in Ukraine is to be believed, Russia is retreating from Kherson, pulling its formations back across the Dnipro River.

In televised comments, General Sergei Surovikin, in overall command of the war, reported to Shoigu that it was no longer possible to keep Kherson city supplied.

"Having comprehensively assessed the current situation, it is proposed to take up defence along the left (eastern) bank of the Dnipro River," said Surovikin, standing at a lectern and indicating troop positions on a map whose details were greyed-out for the TV audience.

However, the Ukrainians are not rushing to take control of the city, fearing the withdrawal could be a major feint to pull the Ukrainian Armed Forces into a pitched battle.

Ukrainian authorities did not immediately confirm the move — and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested in recent days that the Russians were feigning a pullout from Kherson in order to lure the Ukrainian army into an entrenched battle. Zelenskyy called attempts to convince civilians to move deeper into Russian-controlled territory “theater.”

Still, the admission by Surovikin that Russia cannot resupply troops on the west side of the Dnipro is a vindication of Ukraine's strategy of attacking Russia's supply lines, including the Kerch Bridge to Crimea.

If the retreat is legitimate, Russia has simply been outgeneraled by Ukraine.