Ukraine says Russians not leaving Kherson
The Russian military is creating the illusion that it is leaving Kherson by removing its officers and forcing evacuation of the city, a top Ukrainian official said Monday. But Kirill Budanov, Ukraine’s intelligence chief, told Ukrainian Pravda that the Kremlin is sending new military units to the region Russia claimed to annex just weeks ago.
Budanov said Sergei Surovikin, who commands the Southern Group of Russian troops in the war, may be keeping up the appearance of an orderly withdrawal to mute the reaction of Russian society in the event of the surrender or loss of Kherson.
“They create the illusion that everything is gone,” Budanov said. “And at the same time, on the contrary, they bring in new military units there and prepare the streets of the city for defense.”
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said in a weekend assessment that Russia appears to be relying on new recruits to stall the Ukraine military’s recapture of the city.
“Using such inexperienced forces to conduct a delaying action could prompt a Russian rout if Ukrainian forces choose to press the attack,” the assessment says.
RUSSIAN FORCES COULD FACE ‘ROUT’:Russia could struggle to get frontline troops out of Kherson; US rejects Russian claim of Ukraine radioactive ‘provocation’
Other developments:
►German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says rebuilding Ukraine will be a “task for a generation” that no country, donor or international institution can manage alone.
►SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said he will allow Ukraine to continue using his Starlink satellites even if the Pentagon refused to provide funding.
►Ukraine’s Armed Forces are getting better at shooting down Iranian-made Russian drones – up to 85% of them are being shot down, the British Defense Ministry reported,
Kremlin presses ‘dirty bomb’ claim
The Kremlin, despite firm denials from Kiev and the West, pressed its unsubstantiated claim Monday that Ukraine plans to explode a low-yield nuclear device and then blame Russia for using weapons of mass destruction.
Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov, chief of the Russian army’s radiation, chemical and biological protection force, said his defense ministry “has evidence that the Kiev regime is planning a provocation involving the detonation of a so-called dirty bomb.” Kirillov, however, did not release details of that evidence.
Kirillov said the provocation would be used to launch an anti-Russian campaign around the world aimed at undermining trust toward Moscow.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke Sunday with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace and others, accusing Ukraine of planning the provocation to escalate the war. All soundly rejected the claim.
“I spoke by phone today with Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoigu, who requested a follow up call,” Austin said in a Twitter post Sunday. “I rejected any pretext for Russian escalation & reaffirmed the value of continued communication amid Russia’s unlawful & unjustified war against Ukraine.”
Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also dismissed Shoigu’s claims, likely to play well in Russia, as “absurd” and dangerous.
Contributing: The Associated Press