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KYIV. Nov 9 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine sees no signs that Russian troops are leaving Kherson without a fight, said Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to the head of the President’s Office.
“Actions speak louder than words. We see no signs that Russia is leaving Kherson without a fight. A part of the ru-group is preserved in the city, and additional reserves are charged to the region. Ukraine is liberating territories based on intelligence data, not staged TV statements,” Podoliak said on Twitter.
At the same time, he stressed that "Ukraine is liberating territories based on intelligence data, and not staged television statements."
Later, on the air of a nationwide telethon, Podoliak called the statements of Shoigu and Surovikin [commander of the Russian group in Ukraine] an information and propaganda campaign designed exclusively for the internal audience of the Russian Federation in order to present their own defeats with victory.
"For everything is going according to their plan: to leave the whole of Ukraine, including the territories occupied in 2014. They are preparing their society for the fact that it will be a victory. That is, when they reach the left bank of Dnipro, they will consider it a victory, because they stopped the impressive, as they say, NATO forces," he said.
At the same time, according to the adviser to the head of the President’s Office, while there is time and opportunity, the Russian group will still try to stay in Kherson region and cause maximum damage to the regional center.
"It is fundamentally important for them to create fortifications on the left bank of Dnipro. From there, if it is not possible to hold Kherson, they will destroy it as much as possible from the left bank. They are bringing shells, mobilized people, etc. there today. That is, they will still try to stay in Kherson region," he said.
In turn, the Ukrainian military, Podoliak noted, will follow their own scenario for the liberation of territories.
As reported, on the evening of November 9, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu instructed the troops to begin withdrawing from Kherson and transfer forces and equipment to the left bank of Dnipro.
