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Since Russia said its troops were pulling out of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, Ukraine and its Western backers have been cautiously welcoming what could be a major setback for Moscow’s invasion.
But 8 1/2 months in, officials and military analysts say the war is far from over, and Ukrainian and Russian forces are likely to continue fighting through the winter.
For weeks, Ukrainian forces have been advancing on Kherson — the only Ukrainian regional capital that Russia managed to take over since its invasion in February.
Russian defense chiefs said Wednesday they were pulling back their troops to the east bank of the Dnipro River, to save the lives of soldiers and civilians. The world is watching to see if Russian forces actually retreat.
The top U.S. military officer says a withdrawal has already begun.
« Right now, the early indicators are they’re doing what they say they’re doing and we’re seeing those early indicators, » Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Wednesday at The Economic Club of New York.
« I believe they’re doing it in order to preserve their force, to reestablish defensive lines south of the river, but that remains to be seen. »
Here is a look at what this latest move in more than eight months of war means.Russia’s war is going poorly
The announced withdrawal from Kherson comes after Russian troops were rapidly driven out of the Kharkiv region two months ago. The loss of Kherson would leave Russia with few territorial gains since its Feb. 24 invasion. The military campaign failed in its initial strategic objective of replacing the government in Kyiv with one friendlier to Moscow. Russia only managed to seize Mariupol by destroying it. Gen. Milley called the Russian invasion a « tremendous strategic mistake.
