They suspect that Russia may be setting up an elaborate trap, creating the illusion of surrender while simultaneously ramping up reinforcements for a major battle to come. “The statements coming from Russia are contradictory. They seem very eager to convince everyone that they’re going to leave, but what they’re doing doesn’t seem to be consistent with that,” said Branislav Sladchev, a political science professor at the University of California, San Diego who writes about the war. The flag is just the latest sign of surrender coming from Russia in the city of Kherson, a key strategic location critical to Russia’s ambitions to push further west towards the major port of Odessa. Officials installed by Russia in Kherson have evacuated tens of thousands of civilians from the city and surrounding areas in recent weeks. Members of the pro-Kremlin media reported that withdrawing Russian troops were carrying bronze statues of 18th-century Russian commanders. And occupation officials have moved their headquarters 50 miles to the southeast. But at the same time, some 40,000 Russian troops are deployed on the west bank of the Dnieper River in the city, more than ever before. Kirill Stremousov, the deputy head of the Kremlin’s command in Kherson, told state media on Thursday that those Russian troops would “most likely” leave for the east bank. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told an Italian newspaper last week that the move was a ruse. “Their best trained troops are in place. Nobody left. We see it and we don’t believe them,” he said. Ukraine has been making piecemeal gains in the Kherson region in recent weeks as part of a massive autumn counter-offensive that has seen sweeping gains in the northeast. Ukrainian officials say they have recaptured 100 towns and villages as they push towards the regional capital, which was the first major city to fall since the Russian invasion in February. “While there is some commotion and movement, it is not decisive. It doesn’t look like the Russians at the moment have completely abandoned the city of Kherson,” said Kateryna Stepanenko, a Russia analyst at the Institute for the Study of War. Stepanenko said the group, which monitors daily movements in the conflict, has observed Russia moving some military elements across the river. But the country is also building defense positions northwest of the city, he added. “The removal of a flag is not an indication that the Russians are withdrawing from the city at this time,” Stepanenko said. Natalia Humeniuk, a spokeswoman for Ukraine’s southern military command, said the apparent signs of surrender may be an attempt to convince Ukrainian forces that it is safe to proceed, “while [Russian forces] are preparing for street battles,” Reuters reported. “The invaders are clearly onto something!” wrote Yevhen Ryschuk, mayor of the neighboring city of Oleshky, adding that Russian troops have abandoned checkpoints in three settlements near Kherson and that the number of troops in the provincial capital has been reduced. “It is hard to believe that the enemies will simply take and abandon Kherson, the only regional center they managed to capture. It is very important to Putin, so we are waiting, the occupiers are clearly planning some bloody plan,” Rissouk added. A resident of Kherson told the New York Times: “I think they are moving their personnel away so that if the defense lines are breached, they can easily shell the city.” Slantchev similarly said he suspects Russia wants to drag Ukraine into a major battle for the city of Kherson. “Kherson might be kind of an elaborate attempt to try to drag Ukrainian forces into an attack with the belief that it might be easy, and then it won’t be and then they have to send in reinforcements,” Slantchev said. With more Ukrainian forces concentrated in Kherson, Russia may have more success in theaters such as Bakhmut, where Wagner Group forces have been pounding Ukrainian positions – which have so far held the line – for weeks. Hillicon Valley — Twitter verification fee raises concerns over Manchin’s calls for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid deal in new Congress However, if Ukraine successfully encircles Russian forces on the west bank of the Dnieper, it would only be a matter of time before Moscow surrenders or finds a way to break through and either resupply or replace the tens of thousands of Russians stationed there. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed optimism during a news conference Thursday that Ukrainian forces will liberate the city, but did not respond to a question about whether he believed Russian forces were retreating. “On the issue of whether or not the Ukrainians can take the rest of the territory west of the Dnieper River in Kherson, I certainly think they have the ability to do that,” Austin said. “More importantly, Ukrainians believe they have the ability to do it.”
